Abbott's leadership left in question
Prime minister's slim majority in confidence vote suggests his days in the top office are numbered, with others waiting to take his place
Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott may have survived yesterday's leadership challenge from within his own party, but the fact that almost 40 per cent of his colleagues voted against him may leave him mortally wounded.
Liberal lawmakers voted in secret by 61 to 39 against a motion that would have declared his job vacant and allowed candidates to run against him. Abbott immediately called for an end to "disunity and uncertainty" and urged the party to move forward.
Internal support for the conservative prime minister has dwindled 17 months after he won office amid the government's slumping poll ratings and concern about his leadership style.
"Apart from keeping his job, this is probably the worst possible result for the prime minister," said Haydon Manning, a politics professor at Flinders University in Adelaide. "A very solid block has just voted against his leadership. It seems a matter of when, not if, he leaves."
While the cabinet publicly rallied behind the prime minister, yesterday's vote is perceived to have weakened Abbott, 57, and increased pressure on him to reset his policy agenda.
Watch: Australian Prime Minister vows to change after failed bid to unseat him