2009 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spill

2009 Liberal Party of Australia
leadership spill

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Candidate Tony Abbott Malcolm Turnbull Joe Hockey First ballot 35 (41.7%) 26 (31.0%) 23 (27.4%) Second ballot 42 (50.6%) 41 (49.4%) Eliminated Seat Warringah (NSW) Wentworth (NSW) North Sydney (NSW) Faction Conservative Moderates Moderates

Leader before election Malcolm Turnbull Elected Leader Tony Abbott

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This article is part of a series about Malcolm Turnbull
Early life and career Spycatcher trial OzEmail Member for Wentworth (2004–2018) Howard government 2008 Liberal leadership spill Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme OzCar affair 2009 Liberal leadership spill Abbott government National Broadband Network 2015 Liberal leadership spill Prime Minister of Australia First Ministry Second Ministry 2016 election Robodebt scheme Parliamentary eligibility crisis Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey 2018 Liberal leadership spills 2018 Wentworth by-election Australian republican movement
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This article is part of a series about Tony Abbott
Member for Warringah (1994–2019) Howard government 2009 Liberal leadership spill 2010 federal election Prime Minister of Australia Ministry Election Operation Sovereign Borders Direct Action Royal Commission into Unions 2014 Budget North Asian trade agreements February 2015 and September 2015 Liberal Party spills Battlelines
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A leadership spill for the Liberal Party of Australia was held on 1 December 2009. The incumbent leader Malcolm Turnbull was defeated by Tony Abbott on the second ballot; Joe Hockey also stood as a candidate. Abbott thus replaced Turnbull as Leader of the Opposition, and would lead the party to the 2010 federal election.

The spill was the culmination of a dispute within the Liberal Party over its response to the Rudd government's proposed emissions trading scheme (ETS). Turnbull supported the introduction of an ETS and sought to negotiate amendments to government's proposed legislation. Abbott came to represent many Liberal MPs who were climate change deniers or otherwise opposed the ETS. After Turnbull survived a spill motion (a motion to declare the leadership vacant^[1]) against his leadership in late November 2009, Abbott declared his candidacy and a subsequent spill was moved on 1 December. Hockey—a moderate who had been a supporter of Turnbull's position on the ETS—also stood. While Hockey had been expected to win, he was knocked out in the first round of voting. Abbott subsequently defeated Turnbull in the second round, 42–41. Julie Bishop, who voted for Turnbull, was re-elected unopposed as the party's deputy leader.