Abbott 'just pushing on' amid reports of lib spill
Prime Minister Tony Abbott continues to brush off questions about a possible challenge to his leadership amid speculation of another leadership spill motion in Canberra next week.
"I'm just pushing on with the job," Mr Abbott told reporters in New Zealand on Saturday.
"I'm, as you would expect, undistracted and undeterred by the hyperventilating which seems to be taking place at least amongst the media.
"Every day I work for a better Australia and that's what the party expected of me when they elected me back in 2009."
He said he was leading in a "particularly febrile and querulous time in our national life".
Mr Abbott visited in New Zealand on Saturday for security and trade talks with counterpart John Key. He will round off the visit at the cricket World Cup match between the countries in Auckland.
The trans-Tasman visit comes amid speculation in Canberra about what could be a second spill in a month, with more Liberal MPs believed to have joined the 39 out of 102 who supported a spill motion on February 9.
It is unclear whether it is now a party room majority.
Speaking alongside Prime Minister Key, Mr Abbott said he continued "to earn the confidence of the party room".
"I'm looking forward to continuing to have the confidence of the Australian people and I'm looking forward to submitting myself to their judgment some time towards the end of next year," Mr Abbott said.
He said he didn't expect any opportunity to arise for a challenge to the leadership.
Earlier on Saturday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop - also in New Zealand - said she knew nothing about a leadership spill motion being planned for next week.
"I am not aware of any attempt to bring a spill motion to challenge the leadership. I am not aware of any such approach," Ms Bishop told New Zealand's TV3 Network.
"There was a motion for a spill of the leadership a couple of weeks ago, it was defeated."
Ms Bishop said she supported "the leader that the party has elected".
Senior sources told 7News the Prime Minister's time is running out, and either Malcolm Turnbull or Julie Bishop will take the nation's top job when Ministers confront him about his leadership at a Cabinet meeting expected next week in Canberra.
At least ten of Ministers have now turned against Tony Abbott, putting the partyroom numbers heavily in favour of a leadership spill.
7News has been told that when Cabinet meets at 5pm on Monday Ministers will demand the Cabinet room be cleared of all advisers before official business begins - so Ministers, and Ministers only, can thrash out the leadership issue, once and for all.
"The people of Australia hate it when their representatives in Canberra become self-absorbed," Mr Abbot said on Friday.
But conceding his fate is in the hands of the partyroom, 7News revealed on Thursday that Julie Bishop would be a candidate if the Prime Ministership does go to a vote.
