Julie Bishop
How the country’s leadership bloodletting knocked out the popular Foreign Minister
AFTER POWERING THROUGH Perth’s 12-kilometre City to Surf fun run on Aug. 26, Julie Bishop—a woman many thought could be the next leader of the country—made the agonising decision to quit her job as Foreign Minister. It had been a tumultuous week in politics, one that saw Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull lose the leadership to Scott Morrison.
Bishop, 62, had thrown her hat in the ring in a bitter three-way fight which also included Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, who had initiated the leadership spill. But in the leadership crisis that has gripped the nation, Bishop’s bid to win the top job failed at the first hurdle. In the leadership spill she won just 11 votes—which included her own. This was despite polls that showed Bishop was the public’s preferred PM. How could the person the people want not be in charge of the country?
Here’s how. On Aug. 26, details emerged of leaked Whatsapp messages that appeared to show Bishop was betrayed by her Liberal party colleagues. The messages, obtained by ABC’S Insiders program, were from a group called “friends for stability” and allegedly pointed to Minister Mathias Cormann shoring up support for Bishop at the expense of Morrison during the first round of voting. Morrison supporters, however, were encouraged to vote for him over Bishop. “Cormann rumoured to be putting some WA votes behind Julie Bishop in round one,” a message allegedly from Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher read. “Be aware that this is a ruse trying to get her ahead of Morrison so he drops out and his votes go to Dutton. Despite our hearts tugging us to Julie we need to vote with our heads for Scott in round one.” Cormann has since said this is incorrect.
Insiders host Barrie Cassidy said Bishop was “entitled to be embarrassed and angry.” “In the end, she was a victim of tactics and I suppose that helps to explain why she’s less than impressed with her colleagues,” he said. Morrison, in his first days as leader, said he’d put an end to the party in-fighting. “A lot of people would have been absolutely disgusted by [the fighting],” he told ABC radio. “We’re a great country, people are going to get back to where they have to have their heads, where they should have their heads.”
After she announced her resignation, Bishop’s former colleague, Turnbull tweeted: “Today we have lost Australia’s finest Foreign Minister @Juliebishopmp. I thank Julie for her loyalty and friendship over many years but especially as my Deputy. She has been and remains an inspiring role model for women here and around the world.”
The fall out from the leadership stoush has seen former PM Malcolm Turnbull quit parliament. His resignation will now trigger a by election in his Sydney seat of Wentworth. On Aug. 28, Bishop finally faced the media for the first time since she made the decision to pull the pin on her job as Foreign Minister. A positive-sounding Bishop told reporters she was “optimistic about my future whatever it may hold. It’s far too early to even contemplate what I might do but I will have plenty of time to reflect on my options and reflect on what has been an extraordinary time,” Bishop said.
Whatever path she chooses—including a possible future tilt at Pm—it’s clear Bishop has a lot of respect in the wider community, which acknowledges her as a role model for leaders. Founding Chair of Women’s Leadership Institute Australia, Carol Schwartz, tells WHO, “Julie Bishop has been an exemplary Minister for Foreign Affairs. She has had a huge impact in the global arena with her command of the issues, her intelligence, her eye for detail, her tenacity and charm. She is a great role model for future ministers.” •