PYNE: and Ive been talking to my colleagues and there is obviously some people who are
saying that there should be a vote on Tuesday because they said it publicly, they have said it
privately.
STEFANOVIC: As a result of you saying what you just said though, there is going to be
speculation that there is going to be a vote because you haven't done anything about it.
PYNE: I can't rule it out. I can tell you this thing though Karl: I will not be moving a vote on
Tuesday in the party room. I know what I am doing and I am certainly not moving any kind of
motion on Tuesday.
STEFANOVIC: The Prime Minister, you believe, has the numbers at the moment?
PYNE: I assume that the party room knows that the worst thing we could possibly do is change
the leadership right now. We have to support the Prime Minister. I have been supporting him
very strongly in the last ten days while this has been going on. I have been doing as much
media as I possibly can, as I am this morning because I believe that he remains the best person
to be leader of the party.
STEFANOVIC: Does he have the numbers?
PYNE: Thats a very inexact science but I hope he does, yes.
ALBANESE: Well, thats an extraordinary statement from Christopher Pyne, who can't confirm
that the Prime Minister has the numbers. That means that he doesn't.
PYNE: How can I? It is an inexact science, Anthony, isnt it?
ALBANESE: You and I have both been in politics a while and when you start having senior
people not able to say that the Prime Minister has the numbers, then its over.
PYNE: I hope he does and I will certainly will be supporting him if there is any kind of ballot on
Tuesday. But I can't speak for all of my colleagues in a secret ballot and it is really hard
obviously to do so.
STEFANOVIC: Even your dialogue now, as Anthony there seems to point to the fact that
there is something happening. Im not reading anything youre saying, you hope he has the
numbers you don't who know definitively and you are a guy that should know the numbers.
PYNE: One can never exactly know how people are going to vote in a party room ballot. We
have had colleagues out this week talking about a change of leadership. Obviously I'm not a
person revealing here on the Today Show that there has been speculation in the press about
leadership. There has obviously been that speculation in the press and that is why you then
have people like Scott Morrison, Joe Hockey, me, Julie Bishop, others, Malcolm Turnbull even
coming out very strongly this week and saying we supported the Prime Minister and we will
continue to do so.
STEFANOVIC: Will he be certainly Prime Minister next Wednesday?
PYNE: Pleasure.
ALBANESE: See you with a new leader next week.
PYNE: See you next Tuesday.
ALBANESE: I won't be at your meeting Christopher. Thank goodness.
STEFANOVIC: Do you want to be?
ALBANESE: I wouldn't mind a video feed from the Today Show that morning.
STEFANOVIC: All right, we will see what we can do. Thank you guys.