Australian PM Tony Abbott survives leadership challenge

Australia's prime minister Tony Abbott has survived an internal Liberal Party vote to declare his position vacant by 61 votes to 39.

As he walked into the party room meeting Mr Abbott was surrounded be almost every member of his cabinet. The one notable absentee was the minister for communications, Malcolm Turnbull, who had been expected to challenge Mr Abbott if what is known as a "spill motion" had succeeded.

Mr Turnbull walked into the Liberal party room on his own.

The secret ballot was far closer than Mr Abbott’s supporters had said they expected, with at least one MP calling on Mr Turnbull to now resign.

“There’s no challenger but the party room is supposedly divided into the Turnbull camp and the Abbott camp,” said South Australian senator Cori Bernardi. “We have cabinet ministers who are ringing around claiming to represent Malcolm Turnbull in this spill.

“Those that are involved in this plot against the PM need to gather up what’s left of their integrity and determine whether they should sit around the cabinet table. It’s not just Turnbull.”

The vote came just hours after a poll in the Australian newspaper that showed the governing Liberal-National coalition’s primary vote down three points to 35 per cent. The opposition Labor Party primary vote is up two points to 41 per cent. After preferences Labor leads 57-43 and would win by a landslide if an election were held now.

The poll also showed that Mr Abbott’s approval rating has plunged to minus 44 per cent.

Speaking before the party room vote, Mr Abbott conceded he was in a difficult period. “Obviously it’s a pretty chastening experience to have a spill motion moved on you after just 16 months in government . . . and I am determined that my government . . . will learn from this experience,” he said.

However, with almost 40 per cent of his parliamentary colleagues having made it clear they would prefer someone else as prime minister, his position may be under renewed assault before long.