, Mr Abbott said that "we are not the Labor Party". "The Prime Ministership of this country is not a prize or a plaything to be demanded," he said. "It should be something which is earned by a vote of the Australian people. There will be a Party Room ballot for both the leadership and deputy leadership positions later this evening.

“This is not a decision that anyone could take lightly.” Mr Turnbull said he made the decision after consulting with party colleagues and many Liberal supporters in every walk of life. “It is clear enough that the government is not successful in providing the economic leadership that we need,” he said.

QUEENSLAND Liberal senator Ian Macdonald is disappointed with Malcolm Turnbull’s challenge to Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s leadership, even though he has not been “enamoured with Abbott as a person”. Senator Macdonald said he was not in favour of a leadership ballot.

I will not mention his name here. He gets very agitated whenever I give him what I consider to be constructive advice which he views as negative criticism. He has a big ego and will only listen to himself. I have been following his musical career for a few years now.

Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed that he has met with Tony Abbott to ask for a leadership ballot, saying that "the Prime Minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs". , Mr Turnbull confirmed that he had resigned from cabinet. "We need a different style of leadership," he said.

4.08pm: Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop have joined forces to ask Tony Abbott to call a meeting of the Liberal Party as soon as possible to decide his fate, telling him he has lost the confidence of the party room. Ms Bishop approached the Prime Minister before Question Time to tell him that he no....

QUESTION TIME IN FEDERAL PARLIAMENT. WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO SPIN: Anything that makes the government look good in the West Australian seat of Canning where a by-election is being held on Saturday. That's an invitation to spruik the China free-trade agreement.

L'Osservatore Romano/AP In Pope Francis, center, holds the pastoral staff as he arrives for a Holy Thursday homily in the Rebibbia prison chapel in Rome. The Vatican has opened its doors, temporarily, to 50 inmates from Rome’s Rebibbia prison. The inmates got a private tour Sunday of the lush....

Send calendar items to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or fax 896-2104. For more events, check out sunherald.com/events. TODAY. Jackson County AARP Chapter 1213 meeting: 11:30 a.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 2101 Market St., Pascagoula. Potluck lunch. Medicare/medicaid/insurance updates. Jackson County Utility Authority Board of Directors meeting: 4 p.

Australia's Prime Minister Tony Abbott addresses members of the media after a party room meeting at Parliament House in Canberra February 9, 2015. Abbott survived a challenge to his leadership after his ruling Liberal Party on Monday voted down an attempt to unseat him after weeks of infighting.