Malcolm Turnbull has fended off questions about the role deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop played in the downfall of Tony Abbott.
Speaking to reporters shortly after touching down in Jakarta, the prime minister declined to buy into revelations Ms Bishop's most senior staffer attended a meeting of Turnbull backers a day before Mr Abbott lost the Liberal leadership in September.
"As you would expect with the precision of a very fine lawyer and the elegance of a very distinguished diplomat, Julie Bishop has answered those questions completely herself and I've got nothing to add to what she said," Mr Turnbull said on Thursday.
When pressed about whether he could trust Ms Bishop to be his "eyes and ears", Mr Turnbull said his deputy had "my 110 per cent confidence".
Earlier, Ms Bishop confirmed her chief of staff Murray Hansen had attended what she thought was a "drinks night" at the Queanbeyan home of Liberal backbencher Peter Hendy.
"I did not know who would be attending the meeting," she told reporters in Canberra.
As it turned out, Dr Hendy was hosting Mr Turnbull and other Liberal MPs and senators for a discussion about Mr Abbott's leadership and the chances of a successful challenge.
"When I learned who was there on the Monday morning, and when cabinet ministers came to see me, I made the first opportunity available to see the prime minister," Ms Bishop said.
The subsequent meeting between the pair took place within five minutes of Mr Abbott arriving at Parliament House, she said.
It was than that Ms Bishop told Mr Abbott that he had lost the confidence of the majority of his cabinet and a majority of his party room.
Ms Bishop rejected suggestions she had questions to answer about her role in the lead-up to the dumping of Mr Abbott.
Share
