Premier Gladys Berejiklian has fought off a potential leadership spill.
The three rebel MPs who had threatened to call for the spill, led by Mulgoa MP Tanya Davies, confirmed this morning the motion would be withdrawn.
Last night Ms Davies along with Matthew Mason-Cox and Lou Amato had threatened to call the leadership spill in the wake of the ongoing debate over the Abortion Bill.
But the position has changed this morning.
“Since releasing our statement last night, we have received confirmation that further concessions will be forthcoming in relation to amendments to the Abortion Bill,” the three MPs said in a statement issued by Ms Davies at 7.45 this morning.
“On this basis I have called the Premier this morning and advised her that we will withdraw the spill motion to continue negotiations prior to the debate in the upper house commencing later today.”
Radio 2GB’s Ray Hadley is reporting that the Premier was planning to demand a show of hands, not a secret ballot, at the 10am party room meeting. This may have scared off any support the three MPs had.
Earlier, Penrith MP Stuart Ayres had declared the motion “selfish and immature” and said that Ms Berejiklian was “the People’s Premier”.
A huge number of ministers and MPs had shown support for Ms Berejiklian in the wake of the spill motion speculation.
Gladys is the People’s Premier.
This spill motion is selfish and immature and will be comprehensively rejected.
— Stuart Ayres (@stuartayresmp) September 16, 2019
Troy Dodds is the Weekender’s Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia’s leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.
