Malcolm Turnbull will challenge Tony Abbott for the Liberal leadership after resigning from cabinet earlier today.
Along side Julie Bishop, the pair had reportedly approached the Prime Minister, stating their wish to see him step down as leader and make way for a new generation.
Turnbull is apparently being backed by an undisclosed number of ministers and MPs.
“Now this is not a decision that anyone could take lightly. I have consulted with many, many colleagues, many Australians, many of our supporters in every walk of life. This course of action has been urged on me by many people over a long period of time.”
Mr Turnbull says the government needs “to respect the intelligence of the Australian people” and focus on a new style of leadership that will provide “the economic confidence that business needs.”
“We need a style of leadership that explains those challenges and opportunities, explains the challenges and how to seize the opportunities. A style of leadership that respects the people’s intelligence, that explains these complex issues and then sets out the course of action we believe we should take and makes a case for it. We need advocacy, not slogans.”
In a press conference, he spoke of the urgency of the situation – stating that if the Liberal party are to wait until general poles, they will surely lose the election to a dissatisfied public who are certain to reinstate a labour government.
“The fact is we are maybe ten months, eleven months away from the next election. Every month lost is a month of lost opportunities. We have to make a change for our country’s sake, for the government’s sake, for the party’s sake.”
The race is officially on to find the next Prime Minister of Australia. What do you think of the leadership spill?
