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Articles on Liberal leadership crisis

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Malcolm Turnbull rides the train to a politics in the pub event on Thursday night. Twitter

Grattan on Friday: Abbott should step down in favour of Turnbull

When Malcolm Turnbull appeared at Thursday night’s politics in the pub on the NSW central coast the first questioner demanded to know whether he was interested in being leader. Turnbull dodged around but…
Trade Minister Andrew Robb was highly critical of how the government had handled the past year. AAP/Dan Himbrechts

Government failed to prepare community for reforms: Robb

Cabinet minister Andrew Robb has criticised the government’s inclusion of its Medicare and universities reforms in last year’s budget, saying budgets should return to “straight fiscal issues”. As debate…
Senator Arthur Sinodinos, John Howard’s former chief of staff, is the first major figure to throw his weight behind leadership speculation. AAP/Paul Miller

Sinodinos weighs into leadership crisis with tough critique of Abbott government

In 2001, after a disastrous Queensland election result, then-Liberal federal president Shane Stone wrote his famous memo reporting that the Howard government was seen as “mean and tricky”, out of touch…
If the Liberal leadership comes to a crunch at some point, any “no challenge” promises from Julie Bishop become meaningless. AAP/Nikki Short

Cabinet ministers back Abbott while they wonder how events might change their fortunes

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton was dispatched on Tuesday night to announce there’d been unanimous support for Tony Abbott in cabinet, which is meeting for two days. “That’s a strong message, not only…
Liberal backbencher Dennis Jensen said Tony Abbott ‘is not capable of making the transition to prime minister’ from opposition. AAP/Alan Porritt

Bring on a leadership vote next week: Liberal backbencher

West Australian Liberal backbencher Dennis Jensen has urged the Liberals to hold a leadership vote next week, declaring Tony Abbott is not an effective leader and his position is “terminal”. Jensen told…
Strong men with a strong message to promote: Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Queensland Premier Campbell Newman in happier days at the Federal Liberal Party Council meeting, June 2014. AAP/David Crosling

‘Strong’ men in peril: PM hangs on amid NT and Qld shake-up

* Updated Tuesday 11pm AEDT: A state premier gone, a chief minister fighting off a coup, and a prime minister struggling to avoid the others’ fate. Australian politics is suddenly all about consultative…
In the exact opposite to his election strategy, Tony Abbott has been making voters feel anxious and alarmed about his government. AAP/Mick Tsikas

Voters’ feelings of uncertainty have come back to bite Abbott

In 2012, then-opposition leader Tony Abbott gave a speech that set out his agenda for winning government and indicated the policies he intended to implement. He argued that one of his key aims was to make…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s press club address was more pedestrian than inspiring. AAP/Mick Tsikas

Wounded Abbott casts his future as character test for colleagues

The Liberal Party remains volatile and Tony Abbott’s position precarious after a National Press Club performance that avoided disaster but did not convince the doubters among his followers. Abbott gave…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has promised ‘the most consultative and collegial government this country has ever seen’. AAP/Mick Tsikas

Abbott tells troops: don’t panic

Tony Abbott has appealed to his Liberal colleagues to show “character” and not “give in to short-term fear and make a difficult situation worse”. In an appearance billed as vital for his immediate political…
Tony Abbott’s Press Club speech was merely the first of a long series of tests that he will face every day from now on. AAP/Mick Tsikas

What ails Abbott is but a symptom of disease of government today

If a single speech is regarded as a make-or-break event for an Australian prime minister, then that prime minister faces an uncomfortable future. That’s because the “make” part is a fraud. Tony Abbott…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been dealt another bad poll result on the day of his National Press Club speech. AAP/Lukas Coch

Abbott ditches signature policy as his disapproval soars

Tony Abbott will finally and reluctantly declare his dream of a “bigger, better” paid parental leave (PPL) scheme is “off the table”, in a speech that has become crucial to staving off the mounting pressure…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said he regretted the distraction his knighthood for Prince Philip had caused in the Queensland election campaign. AAP/Wayne King

New poll blow to Abbott on eve of crucial speech

The Abbott government would face a devastating rebuff if an election were held now, losing some 36 seats on a uniform 7.5% swing, according to a Fairfax/Ipsos poll published on Sunday. The poll, taken…
Queensland Premier Campbell Newman, flanked by his wife Lisa, waves to supporters after conceding he had lost his seat of Ashgrove and would be leaving politics. AAP Image/Dan Peled

Queensland vote rocks Abbott

The rout in Queensland is shocking news for Tony Abbott. It will terrify federal backbenchers and further destabilise his leadership. It puts up in lights that the unpopular federal Coalition could easily…
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has become a national laughing stock after knighting Prince Philip. AAP/Wayne King

Grattan on Friday: Tony Abbott faces battle to avoid self-destruction

If Tony Abbott were risk-averse, he wouldn’t have scheduled a National Press Club appearance for Monday. Or perhaps it was just another Abbott blind spot. Of course when Abbott signed up to turning up…

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