Bronwyn Bishop breaks her silence about leaving parliament after Tony Abbott asked her to resign over a helicopter ride

EX-speaker Bronwyn Bishop speaks on the chopper ride that led to her resignation, and her relationship with Tony Abbott.

Former MP Bronwyn Bishop has been signed as a Sky News contributor. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

FORMER speaker Bronwyn Bishop broken her silence about the helicopter ride that led to her resignation from parliament, her relationship with Tony Abbott and what she thinks about Malcolm Turnbull’s ability to win the election.

In an interview with Sky News’ David Speers, Ms Bishop admitted that her decision to take a $5,227.27 charter helicopter flight from Melbourne to a golf course near Geelong in 2014 was “a pretty dumb thing to do”.

At the time she said she was only thinking of getting to a fundraising function on time.

“Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It was probably a pretty dumb thing to do,” she said.

“There was a lot of discussion about what other people had done, it became I think a very messy period but there were lots of people that were very supportive.”

Bronwyn Bishop landing in a helicopter at a Geelong Golf Club in November 2014. Taxpayers were billed $5,227.27 for the 80km round-trip from Melbourne to Geelong.

When asked what happened when former prime minister Tony Abbott asked her to resign, she said she agreed to do it immediately.

“When Tony asked me to resign himself I did,” she said.

“As I said it was to protect him and I did, that's it it’s kind of yesterday’s news.

“It was a dumb thing to do and I did repay the money.”

Ms Bishop said she’s “always liked Tony”, despite Mr Speers’s attempts to press her for more information about how her resignation unfolded behind the scenes in parliament.

Bronwyn Bishop delivering her valedictory speech in the House of Representatives Chamber. Picture: Kym Smith

Mr Speers said: “What’s missing from this puzzle?”

Ms Bishop replied: “It’s not all about me, this is about much more important things.”

She declined to elaborate on a comment in her valedictory speech in parliament in which she said there was “much more than meets the eye in that saga. But not for now.”

But Mr Speers wasn’t happy with that answer, and told her: “I do need to cover this off.”

He then quizzed her about her “stony look” on her face after the Liberal party had met to elect a new Speaker, and Mr Abbott gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Tony Abbott kisses Bronwyn Bishop after the party room meeting to elect a new speaker at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: Kym Smith

Ms Bishop said she thought Mr Abbott’s kiss on the cheek was “most unexpected”.

When asked why, she was coy to reply, saying: “There’s two sides to a story, it’s not all about me.”

It was clear Ms Bishop did not like talking about her relationship with Mr Abbott, leaving Mr Speers to ask if she’ll ever discuss it in the future.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” she said.

Mr Speers also asked her who she voted for in the leadership ballot when Malcolm Turnbull ousted Mr Abbott as prime minister.

Again, she was coy to answer.

“The world’s decided how I voted so let’s move on,” she said.

“It doesn't matter what I say.

“Let’s leave it like that.”

Moving on to her loss of the preselection battle in her seat of Mackellar in NSW, Ms Bishop said she had local support, but outer factional players did not back her.

“The locals stuck with me the outsiders didn’t,” she said.

“I think the structure of the preselection hurt me.”

As for Mr Turnbull’s chances of winning the election, Ms Bishop said she didn’t accept claims he was “fighting for his political survival”.

“Whenever your ratings soar as Malcolm’s did they come off the boil, you just have to accept that’s the way it goes,” she said.

Maybe Mr Turnbull would have gone to the polls earlier but he had things he wanted to do, she said.

“He’ll win comfortably.”

Ms Bishop also said she thought Mr Turnbull’s superannuation changes were reasonable, but had not heard of any donors who had withdrawn their support based on the proposals.

“People just don’t understand it (superannuation) it’s a hugely complicated issue,” she said.

“I think ... it’ll be presented in legislation, debated and will go through,” she added.

As for her analysis of Mr Abbott’s chances of re-election, Ms Bishop said she hadn’t spoken to him in a while, except she spoke to him to say “G’day” occasionally.

Asked if their relationship was “a bit frosty” by Mr Speers, she was reluctant to speak any further on it.

But after hearing James Mathison speak earlier on Sky News to Andrew Bolt about his campaign to beat Mr Abbott in the safe Liberal seat of Warringah in NSW, Ms Bishop said: “You’d be putting your money on Tony Abbott.”