A month after the failed attempt to spill the Liberal Party leadership, Tony Abbott has released “a message from the Prime Minister”.
The statement came on the 18-month anniversary of the coalition’s 2013 federal election victory.
Abbott repeats his standard lines about stopping the boats and repealing the carbon and mining taxes. “And we’ve listened to you,” he says, citing the withdrawal of the Medicare co-payment and a pay rise for the defence forces.
The spill motion on February 9 was defeated by 61 votes to 39. The size of the affirmative vote is widely seen as highlighting the danger Abbott’s leadership is in. After the vote, Abbott said: “Good government starts today.”
This is the statement: