Liberals turn on Julie Bishop after book claims her top adviser was involved in Abbott coup plot
IF Julie Bishop thought this scandal was behind her, she was wrong.
3 min read
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING
THE poisonous Liberal Party tensions from the removal of Tony Abbott as Prime Minister are being revived today by fresh claims his deputy Julie Bishop was among the plotters.
Ms Bishop has been forced to confirmed her top adviser was at a “drinks” evening where the decision was made for Malcolm Turnbull to challenge for the leadership. On the Monday, Ms Bishop told Mr Abbott the party room no longer had confidence in his prime ministership and he was eventually ousted.
A new book claims Ms Bishop’s chief of staff and long-time adviser Murray Hansen attended the Sunday, September 13 meeting where it was decided Malcolm Turnbull would make his move.
The Foreign Minister, who is facing calls from Abbott diehards to explain herself, said the presence of her chief of staff Murray Hansen was “entirely consistent” with her previous claims she knew nothing of any plot against Mr Abbott.
“Nothing that has come out in this story contradicts anything that I have said publicly,” she told reporters today.
But it was the first time she had mentioned Mr Hansen’s role at the critical meeting.
The revelations have revived the tensions associated with Mr Abbott’s removal as Prime Minister and as she gave her account to reporters a passing member of the public heckled her saying, “You ambushed him.”
Ms Bishop said it was part of her job as deputy Liberal leader to know the thinking of colleagues and that she knew Mr Hansen was at the talks but hadn’t known who else would be there.
The sequence is portrayed in a book Battleground by academic Wayne Ermington and Sky News identity Peter Van Onselen.
The Foreign Minister has consistently said she acted independently, had no knowledge of the timing of the Turnbull challenge, and was not part of any plot. She even came close to tears on national television the day after Mr Abbott was toppled, telling viewers she “did what I had to do”.
Labor has seized on the revelations, and some of Ms Bishop’s own Liberal colleagues are demanding she explain herself.
Ms Bishop is under pressure to answer the question.
“If he was indeed in attendance at this meeting, if he was doing that without her knowledge, then I think it’s right that his position should be considered. But if she did know about it, I think there are some questions that need to be answered,” said Liberal Cory Bernardi.
Former Liberal minister Eric Abetz today also was quick to demand Foreign Minister Bishop explain her staffer’s presence at the confidential talks, and whether he was her representative.
“If that report is true it is disappointing and it raises a lot of questions,” Senator Abetz told Sky News.
“When I was a minister, I would never have countenanced my chief-of-staff going to such a meeting without my imprimatur and approval.
“And so, I think a question does need to be answered: Whether the chief of staff was there on a frolic of his own or with the imprimatur of the deputy leader. And I think the colleagues are entitled to know what exactly was going on.”
Shadow foreign minister Tanya Plibersek joined the chorus.
“It’s not just Labor saying Julie Bishop has questions to answer about her involvement in the stalking and bringing down of a prime minister,” she told re
Her own party are saying she has questions to answer, that it’s plain that she was up to her neck in the bringing down of Tony Abbott.”
Labor is keen to use the Abbott hangover to rattle the Turnbull government, and in effect is simply repeating the Liberal claims of instability launched after two Labor prime ministers were removed.
The Sunday meeting was at the home of MP for Eden-Monaro Peter Hendy and resulted in the challenge the next night which Mr Turnbull won 54-44.
Others at the meeting were Victorians Mitch Fifield and Scott Ryan, Queenslanders Wyatt Roy, James McGrath and Mal Brough, and Arthur Sinodinos and Mr Turnbull from NSW.
According to the book, Mr Hansen was the only participant who was not an MP or senator.
Emotional Julie Bishop defends her decision to turn on Tony Abbott
JULIE Bishop struggled to maintain her composure on live TV this morning as she defended her controversial decision to turn on Tony Abbott.
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A TEARFUL Julie Bishop has defended her decision to turn on her former boss Tony Abbott, ousting him from the prime ministership after a leadership challenge by Malcolm Turnbull.
“I did what a deputy (leader) has to do and that is to reflect the views of the party,” Ms Bishop told the TodayShow.
“Tony asked for six months to turn it around and unfortunately that hadn’t happened.
“It became obvious to me that the majority of the party had lost confidence in Tony (and) I informed him as is my duty as deputy.”
Asked how Mr Abbott had taken the news, the normally stoic Ms Bishop struggled to contain her emotions.
“He was calm, he was obviously very hurt. I feel for Tony, I feel for (his wife) Margie and his daughters, and I know what stresses and strains the leadership were under.
“I think there were tears shed,” she said, her voice breaking.
“I’m not enjoying this.
“It’s not easy being the deputy of the party.”
Asked by Today host Karl Stefanovic if she had “blood on her hands” as former Labor PM Julia Gillard was once accused, Ms Bishop said she was “aware of the parallels.”
But she said the difference was at the last leadership ballot in February, Mr Abbott asked for six months to improve the government’s fortunes but had been unable to manage it.
“Through that time, nobody wanted Tony to succeed more than I (but) the vast majority of the party room had lost confidence in him.”
A tired-looking Julie Bishop struggled to contain her emotions as Today Show host Karl Stefanovic grilled her about knifing Tony Abbott.
Malcolm Turnbull won last night’s leadership challenge 54 votes to Tony Abbott’s 44, while Ms Bishop was reelected deputy leader with a resounding 70 votes to 30.
Before the vote, Treasurer Joe Hockey, who backed Abbott to the last and is expected to lose his job today, blasted the “outrageous disloyalty” of some of his colleagues.
But Ms Bishop said the Liberal party had done what was needed.
“What we must do is move on,” she told the program.
The interview was a coup for Channel Nine’s breakfast show, which got one up on their Channel Seven rivals thanks to last night’s dramatic leadership spill.
While the Today Show broadcasts live from the lawns of Parliament House in Canberra this morning, the Sunrise crew are stuck in London in a case of terrible timing for Kochie, Sam and the rest of the gang, who this week are broadcasting from a different country each day. Sunrise later interviewed Ms Bishop via a live cross.
Heading in to work as Prime Minister designate this morning, Mr Turnbull said he was getting on with the job.
“There has been a change … but we are a very, very strong government, a strong country with a lot of potential and we will realise that potential by working together.”
NSW Liberal Premier Mike Baird expressed his sympathy for Tony Abbott’s hurt.
“Politics can be brutal,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
“What can be lost in the rough and tumble is the people, and the relationships.
I’ve known Tony Abbott for close to 15 years and I am proud to call him a mate. He will be hurting. So will his wonderful wife Margie and his girls. As their friend, I hurt with them.
Many of those throwing stones don’t see the heart behind the man who has spent decades volunteering at the local surf club or working a shift with the Rural Fire Service… not for political gain, but for the simple reason that he loves his community
https://x.com/AirlieWalsh/status/1129683957505613824?s=20
Comment by Nelle- She is a malicious woman totally involved in her own importance,she was miffed with Tony Abbott because he had a hand on the cheque book not allowing her to give money to foreign countries to the the detriment of Australians but the main reason was that he was against the signing of Australia over to the UN and the cabal of criminals so she conspired with Turnbull who was always trying to take Abbott down anyway and who welcomed Bishop and together they campaigned to knife our elected PM giving the reason that Abbott would lose the next election-ignoring the fact that Abbott had gained 25 seats to win the 2013 election after having all but won the 2010 and promoting the hopeless traitor Turnbull into the top job who indeed won the next election albeit by losing 24 of the seats that Abbott had won. She is obvious a member of the criminal cabal and still works to take Australia down this time promoting the yes vote marching alongside Penny Wong another one of Bishop’s ilk. Govts since have all toed the cabal’s line and we are in so much trouble today as they continue with their march into full blown communism-who, ten years ago would have thought that Australia sink to be a communist nation taken on this road by the greed of people who never stood for country. I remember in February of 2015 lord Monckton said in a speech to Australia ‘Tony Abbott is a good man and the Forces of Darkness know this and plans are in place to take him down=Canada and Australia were the last countries holding out of signing over to the cabal but Canada was in the process of being taken down with their good PM already lost and as Australia is too far from an election other means must come into play hence the betrayal and knifing of Tony Abbott
Nelle's journey 