Turnbull refuses to rule out takeover

Speculation of a leadership
challenge by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and a cabinet
reshuffle are quashed by Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Nine News.





Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to condemn two
conservative commentators engaged in a bitter public dispute with one of
his most senior ministers, praising the two as his personal friends.




After a week of public insults between his Communications
Minister Malcolm Turnbull on the one hand and News Corporation
commentator Andrew Bolt and Sydney shock-jock Alan Jones on the other,
Mr Abbott pointedly declined to criticise the outspoken media
personalities.





Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to condemn Andrew Bolt and Alan Jones over their stoush with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott has refused to condemn
Andrew Bolt and Alan Jones over their stoush with Communications
Minister Malcolm Turnbull. Photo: Andrew Meares






He said also that criticism comes with the territory for people in politics.



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That, along with another observation that there had been some
"over-excited chatter" made in recent days, could be seen by Mr
Turnbull as a thinly disguised message to him to pull his head in.



Asked directly if he agreed with Mr Turnbull's criticism of
Mr Jones as a bomb-thrower doing the Labor party's work, and the claim
that



Mr Jones and Mr Bolt were running a concerted campaign against Mr Turnbull, Mr Abbott replied "no".



"Alan is a friend of mine, Andrew Bolt is a friend of mine, I
think that they are both very significant commentators and they've got a
lot to say as you know," he said in Paris.



The comments came despite Mr Bolt accusing Mr Turnbull of
destabilising Mr Abbott and Mr Jones claiming Mr Turnbull was a bomb
thrower intent on harming his prime minister in order to regain the
Liberal leadership.



On ABC's 7.30 on Thursday night, Mr Turnbull said he did not have "any plans, any desires, any expectations to be the leader" of his party again.



"Politics is an unpredictable business so people say to me
often, 'Do you think you'll be leader again?' and I say my prospects are
somewhere between nil and very negligible and I think that is probably
about right," Mr Turnbull said on 7.30.



However when asked directly about his leadership ambitions,
he said he "didn't think there is any member of the House of
Representatives who, if in the right circumstances, would not take on
that responsibility".



With the stoush raging on, Mr Abbott, who is in Paris,  also
poured cold water on suggestions emanating from within the Coalition
that it might hasten a reshuffle of the ministry.



"If you look at my record, you'll know that I don't lightly
reshuffle my front bench, I made hardly any changes in 2009, we made
modest changes after the 2010 election, and there were modest changes
after the 2013 election because I believe that you should pick the right
person for the job, and then leave them there to get on with it," he
said.



Fairfax Media understands that messrs Bolt and Jones have
asked Labor for ammunition to use against Mr Turnbull, particularly in
relation to his stewardship of the national broadband network.



At the same time, some of Mr Turnbull's allies are privately blaming the Prime Minister's office for intervening to stop a succession of high-profile appearances on the ABC since the budget.



Bolt and Jones have both taken aim at Mr Turnbull for
allegedly not selling the budget to the public, an accusation Mr
Turnbull has rejected.



In a fiery morning exchange
on Thursday, Mr Turnbull accused Jones and Bolt of creating the furore
around his alleged leadership aspirations, telling Jones he was the
''bomb thrower''.



Jones responded: ''There is no challenge to his leadership.
They are suggesting Malcolm precisely because you have no hope ever of
being the leader. You've got to get that into your head.''



Mr Turnbull replied: ''This is the most united, cohesive
government we've had in this country for a long time and I think it is
just very sad that you and Bolt are doing the work of the Labor Party in
undermining the Abbott government.''



But questions linger over the strength of the relationship
between Mr Turnbull and the Prime Minister after Fairfax Media revealed
Mr Turnbull had not gone ahead with four slated appearances on the ABC.



During Mr Turnbull's appearance on 7.30, he said Bolt and Jones had undermined the Prime Minister by suggesting the government was divided.



"I will not stand by and let that falsehood be peddled
because there is a risk if you don't stand up to bullies and people who
peddle these lines, that they will start to become accepted,'' he said.



Some of Mr Turnbull's allies are privately blaming the Prime Minister's office, which vets all media appearances.



A Liberal Party source said possible changes to the ministry were behind the instability.



''There might be a few people trying to remind Abbott of
their usefulness to him and loyalty when it counted [when he took over
the Liberal leadership from Mr Turnbull],'' said a Liberal Party source.



Arthur Sinodinos is expected to be moved on from his
suspended role as assistant treasurer after his bruising appearance at
the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption, while speculation
persists that Immigration Minister Scott Morrison will step into the job
of Defence Minister at the expense of David Johnston.



Parliamentary secretaries Josh Frydenberg and Steven Ciobo
are considered to be two of the front runners to take Senator Sinodinos'
job.