How a leadership spill works
Prime Minister Tony Abbott says he and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will "stand together" in the face of a vote to spill the Liberal leadership.
West Australian MP Luke Simpkins has today announced he will initiate a challenge to unseat Mr Abbott when the party meets next Tuesday.
"I think we must bring this to a head and test the support of the leadership," he wrote in an email to colleagues.
So, what exactly is a leadership spill and how will it all go down on Tuesday?
What brings about a leadership spill:
Dissatisfaction within party ranks with current leadership.
"In the last two weeks I have been inundated with emails and walk-ins to my Electorate Office all questioning the direction the Government is being led in," Mr Simpkins said in his statement.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop (left) has told cabinet she won't challenge for the Liberal leadership. Photo: AAP
Who can call a leadership spill:
Any party member can move the motion to spill the leadership position.
A seconder is usually called for, but is not technically required if the leader chooses to let the discussion proceed.
How it works:
A notice of motion from those seeking the spill is proposed to Chief Government Whip. Following this, the current party leader (in this case, Prime Minister Tony Abbott) convenes a meeting, attended by all (Liberal) members of Parliament, including senators.
The party's leadership is thrown open for re-election, and nominations are sought. A spill may involve all leadership positions (leader and deputy leader in both houses), or just the leader.
The vote is cast by a secret ballot. It's as mundane as MPs writing down the name of the candidate that they want to win on a piece of paper and putting it in a box. Tellers are appointed to count the votes.
Who wins:
Whoever secures one vote over the 50 per cent mark becomes the party leader. Leader of the governing party becomes the prime minister. In case of opposition, the winner of the spill becomes the opposition leader.
Who loses:
If the candidate doesn’t win majority, they cease to remain the leader of the party (and in this case, the prime minister).
Only 18 percent of voters say Tony Abbott is best to lead the Coalition. Photo: 7News
Liberal MP Andrew Nikolic has branded the move to challenge Prime Minister Tony Abbott as disappointing and divisive.
In an email to backbench colleague Luke Simpkins, who will move a leadership spill motion on Tuesday, Mr Nikolic dismissed the move as the "ill-disciplined and self-interested behaviours that the Australian people explicitly rejected in 2013".
The email was copied to other coalition MPs and senators.
"Your actions are disappointing and divisive," Mr Nikolic said to Mr Simpkins.
"You do not have my support for this."
"Sure, we've had a bad patch, but what do you do when you have a bad patch?" Tony Abbott said this week. "You can buckle down to business or not, but failing to buckle down to business always makes a bad situation worse." Photo: AAP
Mr Nikolic, an Abbott loyalist, said he would be arguing strongly against the spill motion.
Instead he would support what he believed to be the clear majority of colleagues and constituents who preferred stability and unity of purpose.
