Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop dismissed press reports that questioned her loyalty to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, saying she would not challenge him for leadership of the Liberal Party.
“I am not campaigning for the job of prime minister, I’m not ringing the backbench asking for support,” Bishop said in an e-mailed statement of remarks made to her Liberal-National coalition Cabinet colleagues. “I am not counting any numbers, I will not challenge the leader.”
Bishop’s message of support for Abbott, 57, came after he met with his Cabinet yesterday for the first time since the summer break, seeking to reset the political agenda amid slumping poll ratings and disquiet over his decisionmaking.
The prime minister earlier sought to brush off speculation that party deputy Bishop refused to pledge her loyalty in a meeting on Sunday.
“I have meetings with Julie Bishop all the time,” Abbott told Channel 7. “I think people find that insider-Canberra stuff so boring. What they’re looking for is politicians who are not endlessly navel-gazing, not fighting amongst themselves, but are getting on with the government of this country.”
The Australian Broadcasting Corp earlier yesterday said it had learned that neither Bishop nor former Liberal leader Malcolm Turnbull had ruled out challenging Abbott.
After Bishop’s statement, speculation that Abbott’s job was under threat was renewed when Channel 7 reported at least 30 backbenchers want an open leadership vote — or “spill” — within the next two weeks.
It said Bishop and Australian Minister of Communications Turnbull were prepared to stand should a backbencher call for a spill, which would need support from 51 or more coalition lawmakers to occur, without saying where it got the information.
Abbott used a key speech in Canberra on Monday to spell out his coalition’s priorities for the year, including introducing a new childcare policy, boosting jobs and cutting taxes for small business.
Speculation that Abbott may face a leadership challenge mounted after conservative allies in Queensland suffered a massive swing in Saturday’s state election. Liberal National Party Premier Campbell Newman lost his seat, with Labor — which was reduced to only seven of the state parliament’s 89 seats in 2012 — poised to take government.
Support for Abbott has fallen to 27 percent, with 44 percent favoring Labor leader Bill Shorten, according to a Galaxy poll published on Sunday in News Ltd newspapers. The government slipped to 43 percent support on a two-party preferred basis, trailing Labor on 57 percent, the poll showed.
Parliament resumes next week, with Abbott set to face a meeting of his coalition party members on Tuesday next week. The Liberals face another test when New South Wales, the biggest state, goes to the polls late next month.
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