Western Australian lawmaker Luke Simpkins says Australians have stopped listening to Abbott and if no one’s listening, Abbott can’t lead the party.
If Tuesday’s vote is successful, then a call will be made for nominations for the position of prime minister and deputy leader of the Liberal Party.
The prime minister however is defiant.
In a bombshell announcement, Abbott declared he and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, the deputy leader of Abbott’s party, stand united and will urge the party not to declare their positions vacant.
Bishop has been widely tipped to be a possible aspirant for the top job.
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Undoubtedly, the phones will be furiously worked over the weekend. Both Turnbull and Bishop will be testing the waters.
In the meantime, government members will be weighing whether the effort is worth the risk. Ringing in their ears might be the words of the Trade Minister Andrew Robb.
“I think it’s totally unnecessary and it will make us look like a bit of a circus frankly,” he said.
Since federation, Australia has experienced six party room coups that have toppled the prime minister. If Abbott’s head rolls, he will have been in power for the shortest period of them all.
