The question that could come back to bite Abbott
Almost three years ago, Tony Abbott, then-Opposition leader, rose in parliament to ask Julia Gillard a question that could well come back to bite him in the coming days.
Ms Gillard had just faced down the first challenge from Kevin Rudd, who had days earlier resigned from his post as Foreign Minister and then announced he was running for the top job.
Gillard won the leadership ballot, 71-31.
It was then Mr Abbott asked the fateful question.
“Given that one third of her parliamentary colleagues and a quarter of her cabinet colleagues have today expressed their lack of confidence in her, how can she claim to have a mandate to continue as Prime Minister?” he asked.
Fast forward to 2015 and Mr Abbott finds himself in a strikingly similar situation.
At a Liberal party meeting in Canberra this morning, a motion for a leadership spill brought by West Australian Liberal MPs Luke Simpkins and Don Randall was defeated 61-39.
While the spill was averted, it still indicates almost 40 per cent of his colleagues had lost faith in the PM.
Liberal backbenchers say they have sent a powerful message to Tony Abbott that they want to be consulted and policies need to change.
Mr Abbott said in a brief statement in a video message after the vote that the matter had been resolved.
"We want to end the disunity and the uncertainty which destroyed two Labor governments and give you the good government that you deserve," Mr Abbott said.
News break - February 9
