Tony Abbott’s shot over losing to Malcolm Turnbull as 30th Newspoll looms
JULIE Bishop has thrown her support behind Malcolm Turnbull ahead of his 30th Newspoll fate, as another poll revealed Australians don’t want a change in leadership.
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JULIE Bishop has thrown her support behind Malcolm Turnbull ahead of his 30th Newspoll fate, as another poll revealed Australians don’t want a change in leadership.
The Foreign Minister was asked about the Prime Minister and the Newspoll while travelling with Prince Charles in Vanuatu.
Ms Bishop said she was supporting Mr Turnbull and that he would lead the Liberal party to the next election.
Her comments come as Fairfax’s IPSOS poll, the first for 2018, showed 76 per cent of Colalition voters and 62 per cent of all voters said they wanted Turnbull to remain leader of the Liberal party.
The survey results also revealed that the gap between Labor and the Coalition is closing — with the government on 48 per cent and Labor at 52 per cent.
The news comes after former prime minister Tony Abbott has taken a shot at Malcolm Turnbull, saying any suggestion he had failed to follow cabinet process or should have lost the prime ministership for it was wrong.
Mr Abbott tweeted the rebuke on Twitter after Mr Turnbull acknowledged John Howard for how he had used cabinet processes when he came to power.
“Any suggestion that the Abbott Government didn’t follow proper cabinet process and that this somehow justified a leadership change is false,” Mr Abbott tweeted.
The comment came after Warringah MP also held a “lively discussion” with his local constituents in the seat of Warringah just days before Mr Turnbull’s 30th Newspoll fate is delivered.
Any suggestion that the Abbott Government didn't follow proper cabinet process and that this somehow justified a leadership change is false.
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) April 6, 2018
On Instagram, Mr Abbott wrote: “A lively discussion with Neutral Bay and Cremorne residents at the Cammeray Golf Club covering a host of subjects — transport and traffic congestion, overdevelopment, the state of the nation, the state of the party and the need for unity to win the next election.”
The posts from Mr Abbott come after speculation that Mr Turnbull will face a leadership challenge on Monday if he loses his 30th Newspoll in a row is “rubbish,” senior cabinet minister Christopher Pyne said.
In a heated clash with the Nine Network’s Today Show host Karl Stefanovic on Friday, the Defence Industry Minister also quashed rumours Liberal heavyweight Peter Costello could stage a comeback to save the Coalition as it continues to tank in the polls.
“It is one of the more ridiculous stories,” Mr Pyne told Stefanovic.
“Peter Costello has been a very good friend of mine for a long time ... the advent of the 30 Newspolls was always going to cause all these nonsense stories.”
Speculation of a Costello comeback flared yesterday after an opinion piece in Fairfax Media suggested the Howard-era Treasurer could be the Coalition’s saviour as the Turnbull Government continues to trail Labor in the polls.
On Monday, Mr Turnbull will likely face his 30th Newspoll defeat in a row — the same number he used to justify rolling Tony Abbott for the Liberal leadership in 2015.
Mr Pyne shut down suggestions this morning Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton could make a play for Mr Turnbull’s job, saying the Australian public didn’t care about the Newspoll deadline.
“It’s just an irrelevance. Sure there might be a bad Newspoll on Monday — nobody cares,” he told Stefanovic.
“Malcolm Turnbull will lead us to the next election as Prime Minister.
“He will win the election because the economy is going well, the government is going well and the alternative is Bill Shorten and the CFMEU.”
Pushed on whether he had spoken to Mr Costello about the possibility of a comeback, Mr Pyne said he had not but was sure the former Treasurer, now the chairman of the Australian Future Fund, was “not the least bit interested”.
Mr Turnbull has also urged his own MPs to ignore the Newspoll on Monday.
“Everyone complains that politicians are focused on polls — well I think the media is very focused on polls and various others are focused on polls, my job has got to be focused on delivering good policy, stronger economic growth, greater opportunities and so forth,” he told Fairfax Media today.
“I know it’s the ultimate cliche but the only poll that matters is the one on polling day and you’ve only got to look at the few recent polls — Tasmania, South Australia and Bennelong — and there is quite a difference between what the pollsters are saying and what the people did.
“[Bennelong] was a case where we had a swing against us but it was very much within the margin of swings in by-elections. Every outing we have had, we have succeeded at the poll, at the important poll.”
Mr Turnbull has acknowledged he needs to “keep on delivering” to defeat Labor at the next election.
But he backed his track record on the economy — another measure he has used to roll Mr Abbott for the leadership.
“When I stood up and nominated to be leader of the Liberal Party in 2015, I said that I would deliver economic leadership and I would deliver traditional cabinet government, among other things,” he said.
“Economic leadership, we have demonstrated that, I think, very, very convincingly.
“The strongest jobs growth in the nation’s history surely is a demonstration that our economic policies are working and the confidence, the support for investment, the support for employment which we are delivering is paying results.”
Former Liberal Prime Minister John Howard urged Coalition MPs to unite behind Mr Turnbull last night, saying it was possible to defeat Labor at the next election.
Originally published as Tony Abbott’s shot over losing to Malcolm Turnbull as 30th Newspoll looms
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