Abbott wins Liberal leadership | National News | Breaking National News in Australia

Very interesting... Wonder how long he's going to last? Or has he just been voted in because he decided to change to a 'no' vote on the ETS?

This has given me the best laugh for ages

I would cringe if any of the these liberals become prime minister.

A leader elected on a single policy..... Interesting.

I don't think the laughs have even started yet. I just LOVE comedy!

That is definitely a vote against the ETS, and that's a good thing.

Hockey's loss on the first ballot may well be the best result for him as he will be able to step in and take over the leadership of the Liberal Party after the next election disaster.

I believe the election of Abbott is a backward step and one that will ensure the Liberals remain in the political wilderness for years to come.

And you can blame our very own Mr Slipper who no doubt cast the single vote needed to change the leadership today.

Definition of "tenuous" - elected on a single policy, by a single vote.

They look about as solid as quicksand...

Tony Abbott's opposition to the ETS puts at risk $200bn in contracts – Malcolm Turnbull intimated that. Minchin is even a sceptic about passive smoking… is this still the 21st century?

We are supposed to live in a Democracy. When Turnbull lost the ETS vote at last weeks Liberal Party vote, and then came out and said, I am the leader and we will vote for it even if the majority voted against it, then he lost me.

I can see merit in an ETS if the people causing the pollution were made to pay and the government was to use the money for planting more trees to reduce the pollution affect, but to just collect tax, make us all pay for it and do nothing to counter the pollution that we would now be paying for seems stupid.

In any case what is the rush? Nothing needs to be done before the Copenhagen meeting.

I think it will be a great election campaign,

Vote LNP for the Mad Monk and the Mad Drunk!

Dick Stevenson
On Buderim.

I believe fellow Daily blogger Jeff Watson is (or was) a cabbie.

Hey Jeff, Cabbies know all the local gossip,
is the word on the street that the member for Fisher Peter Slipper loves a good drink or 10?

According to Ray Hadley this morning on the telly, 70% of Australians don't fully understand the ETS, so anything that puts a hold on pushing this policy forward is probably a good thing. Other countries are waiting, I think we should too. Another thing Ray stated this morning is that half the scientific community are in opposition to the ETS. These are people who do understand it. Talk about the blind leading the blind... I don't understand the ETS any more than I understand politics, and I am an educated professional. In my humble opinion, I think it's a good thing to wait and see what the other countries do with this issue.

A failed priest is now in charge of the oppositon. He couldnt get his faith right then, why should we trust his faith now?

And the vote LOL another george bush election win - - one of the turnbull supporteres was unable to attend, but no proxy was allowed.

And then a vote went missing between the intial vote and the final vote. All of these far right religious nutters (bush and abbott) seem to specialise in shinky election results

I hope the Coalition reject the ETS bill - it is after all a weak attempt when considering the changes needed to effectively combat climate change.

I hope Rudd then calls an election.

I then hope the Coalition get obliterated at the election. At the same time I hope the Greens can increase their presence in the Senate and gain the balance of power on their own.

I then hope the Government get serious and in conjunction with the Greens put together a proper climate change policy that is passed that might actually make a difference. Who knows the rest of the world might even then start taking us seriously!

I can only only hope!

A win for the conservatives within the Liberal Party… and a certain trigger for double dissolution… if the next elections would not be that close anyway. Moving to the ‘right’ certainly does not win elections, specifically not with Labour under Rudd trying hard to claim the all-important political ‘middle ground’. Sad to see Turnbull gone, he has not always been ‘Mr Perfect’ (difficult to be on any terms), but he has been the dominant LIBERAL voice in the Liberal Party. This country really needs a political leadership and party that understand that pro-actively, balanced and pragmatically MOVING FRORWARD is the only way to travel. The future is in the CENTER and not at extremes! Nothing to do with indecisive fence sitting (as often wrongly portrait), but working for a strong negotiated position that takes in the broadest range of views and mends it into a workable platform for decisive ACTION.

This might mean the end of Mr Bean and the other one. What's his name? He's a local MP but I've hardly ever seen him or heard about him.

fingers crossed

The only positive trait that I see from Abbott is that he doesn't mind a surf. Apart from that he has got nothing & is as useful as an ashtray on a motorbike. Talk about a disjointed bunch. Costello did not have the jatz crackers or spine to take on the leadership as he knew he was "flogging a dead horse". Ironbar Tuckey likes to sit in the bleachers and throw stones at all and sundry regardless of their political representation. Great team player!!! Hockey obviously did not want to upset his relationship with Mal. Michin - with the title as king maker has shredded the Liberal party So now Malcolm in the Middle is now Malcolm in the outer.

debbiemagee he wore a yellow tie today - whats that old song

tie a yellow tie round the old shonkeeee,

what odds turnbull joins the labour party??

I'm not too sorry Costello is in. I'd like to see someone who can ruffle K-Rudd's feathers. Where is Kevy by the way? Oh that's right...on another important, overseas hand-shaking mission.

You know, I can't help but think of all those ads from the Labor Party explaining in detail how terrible Workchoices was. Why don't we see a similar campaign on the ETS, explaining in detail what it is and where all the tax money is going to be spent?

A poll in the SMH at present is showing 0nly 19% in favour of Abbott being elected and 81% against his election . And that's Sydney votes !!

Fun and games to come over next 12 months.The worst thing is, it will be to the detriment of our Country .

a united party? the vote could not have been any more severly split... half the party does not want abbot as leader.

justthinking - kev doesn't even need to be in the country, the libs are strengthening his position in absentia...

Please tell me I did NOT see Tony Abbott doing a Peter Debnam and being interviewed in budgie smugglers!

Hmmm...kind of my point Clark. Kev's offsiders are doing a reasonable enough job without him. Which wouldn't be too hard considering he doesn't do much of the hard yards even when he is here.

Kip taylor = the greens lost their credibility when at a state level they gave their preferences to Labor --- which supported the Traveston Crossing dam --- and in the dams electorate, the greens candidate, effectively threw his hands in the air and walked away because of his party's decision to direct preferences to labor ... Think the greens need to go and hide under a rock ... gutless is the word that comes to mind, Federal or state, they're tarred with the same brush.

Just thinking at Kawana waters .. Costello is in??
wow politics moves fast -only this morning it was Tony Abbot!!

the religious right has taken over the "liberal" party

An abbott is leader and a bishop is second in command

very frightening stuff - - time for the "liberal" party to change its name, because liberal is one thing it isnt

Few would argue we need to do something about Climate Change.

Many are wondering, what is the rush before Copenhagen? Seriously but, what is the rush? mmmm

Many are wondering about future jobs taxed out of existence as a result of ETS - show us some (any) financial/economic modeling. mmmmm

Many are wondering about the impact of ETS on our trade imbalance. mmmmm

It sort of seems that although the Libs are in total political disarray, that at least they are seriously concerned not just about Climate Change but they are concerned about what might be a flawed approach to the remedy. mmmmm

Labour is locked solid on the party line with ETS. Good party discipline perhaps, but is that all? mmmm

BTW .. not that I am a climate change skeptic, but can we please see the media talk more about the case for and against? Where is the Science for and against?

Oh, and when can we start laughing again about Rudd procrastinating on fixing State Health? mmmm

Lets have a laugh about the next RBA interest rate rise. mmmm

Sorry, how much debt is this Federal Labour Govt racking up? Is that what ETS is really fixing? mmmm

So what's wrong with a Federal Election held on a single issue ? In 1993 the Labor Party won the GST election . In 2010 the Coaltion should win the ETS election . What comes around goes around . This country does not need any more taxes .

JustThinking from Kawana Waters, Costello in??!!!! What planet are you on LOL.

Bide your time Joe, the Libs will soon realise your the only personable Lib that can stand up to Kevvy.

Joe Hockey for PM.

If the Coalition is to stand any chance at all, they need to get Peter Costello back. He was a snide, arrogant p**k, BUT, he easily had the best economics brain in the business, he didn't take any crap from the unions, and he also made the big banks pull their heads in when they started to get out of line. These are things no one else in Canberra is capable of doing.

Abbott is the least liked of the contenders out in the real world. He is an extremely divisive character, and stands no hope of uniting the shattered Liberal Party. He may not last til the next election, but if he does he will lose more seats than Howard.

The seats most likely to go include many of the moderates (including Fairfax and Dickson) as well as Turnbull's, Hockey's and Pyne's seats. (Fisher would fall as well, but the member there has revelaed he is far from moderate). So the Liberal Opposition after the next election with be even more Right wing, and have even fewer alternative leaders.

Under Abbott, the Liberals look like becoming an extreme Right wing rump like One Nation or the DLP. And Australia will be without a viable opposition for a decade or more.

What are the odds Abbott has gone by Easter?

42 to 41, with Fran Bailey absent and unable to vote - the result is easy to comprehend.
But who in the room did cast an informal vote marked with "NO".
That is more the embarrasement - a politician who cannot vote.

But what about the by-elections coming up next week both incoming Liberal candidates who will win those seats are Turnbull aligned. Then Fran Bailey gets out of hospital makes three extra Turnbull votes.
Then there's the one abstemsion.

The media scrum will crucify the Libs in the meantime.

So if there can be two spills in such a short time , why not three ?

Turnbull will shortly be the only candidate with any credibility left standing. Abbott has flip flopped on ETS, Hockey can't cut the mustard as shown on Q&A and Andrews has painted himself into a corner.

It obviously didn't pan out as Hockey expected.
There are now 2 options for a double dissolution, one of them spilling all Senate reps and a later option for an early election.
I expect to hear more on this from "The Daily".

The Libs are imploding whilst the only Leader they had with any shred of credibility and conviction is left asking "et tu Brute ?"

Having heard the response from Tony Abbott, at least he has the parliamentary experience to take the fight to the Prime Minister and others within his government. The government clearly hasn't listened to our needs since winning the last election and unfortunately, there's much more pain ahead for us all especially when electricity costs could now exceed 50 + per cent higher. We heard on the tv news last night that electricity could increase by at least $150 next year and a further $30 per year for several years into the future. This doesn't include costs originating from the Carbon Emission Trading Scheme. For those who think that we will have a double dissolution election early next year, need to consider this point. Opponents to an early election maybe tempted to lodge a application with the High Court of Australia. However, we know that the Australian Greens won't change their position and Senator Fielding wants the Productivity Commission to have a look even though, he doesn't support the Senate having another look. It is purely about giving Mr Rudd what he wants so he can wave the act in the air at the Copenhagen talks. We don't know whether Joe Hockey will want to remain as shadow treasurer but the next election will clearly be fought on other major issues that have taken a backseat. Don't forget, we still have to repay the money that was given free to us - 12 months ago. There is support for the government to come clean re their precious scheme.

hahahaha - Costello lead the party? Hasn't Kevvy already given him a job?

Oh goodness me, don't get your knickers in such a twist. Doesn't take a Uni degree to figure out it was a typo.

What have the Liberal Party done? The Mod Monk has more in common with the DLP and the Fred Nile Party than the grand old party of Menzies. He's more extreme and divisive than Howard, who saw himself thrown out with the bath water last election. Do they want to be in Opposituon for eternity?

like turkeys voting for thanksgiving

What has everyone got against Tony ?

He sorted out Bernie Bampton didn't he ?

The Science is not in on Climate change despite what Al Gore has to say. 30,000 scientist reject the UN view on climate change. And just come to light the fact that hackers exposed the scientist emails that openly state they destroyed and manipulated the raw data that the Climate change theory was based on. Thankfully we do question the media and look deeper into the issues.
Well done those in the Liberal party that questioned the theory's