With the ouster of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Australia's ruling Liberal Party is now experiencing the revolving door leadership struggles that bedeviled its predecessor, the Labor Party. Monday morning, Malcolm Turnbull dispatched Abbott in a secret party vote that reflected growing concern within the party about Abbott's plunging popularity and his ability to lead the Liberals in national elections. There was also a dose of revenge for Turnbull, whom Abbott had ousted as party head in 2009.
Abbott became prime minister when the Liberals routed Labor in national elections in 2013. That ballot turned on concerns about Australia' economy, limits on carbon emissions and worries about securing the country's borders amidst a rising tide of immigrants. Compounding those policy questions were rising doubts about the Labor Party, which had been consumed by leadership fights, with Julia Gillard besting Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and then being ousted in return by Rudd when voters appeared to lose confidence in Gillard.
While there were doubts about Abbott — he was considerably more conservative than his party, had a history of gaffes, especially sexist remarks about women, and was thought to be an imperious leader — voters gave him and his party the mandate to govern. The party quickly squandered it. First, after criticizing Labor's record on the economy, Abbott has been unable to sustain growth. That is not his fault since Australia is heavily reliant on China — responsible for about 80 percent of the value of the country's export growth since 2013 — and that economy is slowing. Still, decisions in the Labor Party's first budget — such as the creation of a fee for visiting doctors — undermined the image of a competent and capable party of economic managers. Second, while Australians worry about an influx of immigrants, the government's policies — reportedly including the paying off of crews on boats bringing refugees — raised questions about legality and morality.