Veteran MP Philip Ruddock is to stand down as Chief Government Whip in the wake of a leadership spill motion which Tony Abbott described as a near-death experience.

The ABC has confirmed Mr Ruddock will be replaced with Queensland MP Scott Buchholz.

A statement will be released shortly.

On Monday, Mr Abbott came within 12 votes of being toppled as leader and the narrow victory shocked some of the Prime Minister's loyalists.

Some senior ministers hold Mr Ruddock partly to blame, saying one of his roles should be to rally support for the Prime Minister.

They also believe that had Mr Ruddock been doing his job properly, by acting as a backbench sounding board, then Mr Abbott would have been forewarned that disquiet was building in his ranks.

When contacted by the ABC, Mr Ruddock said "the position of whip is in the gift of the leader, and any advice about that position should come from him [the Prime Minister]".

Mr Abbott is known to have great respect for Mr Ruddock, who is the longest-serving member of the House of Representatives and he would want to ensure that he left with dignity.

The move has been under discussion for more than a day, with the two men meeting after Parliament rose on Thursday.

Sacking the chief whip might be interpreted by some Coalition MPs as at odds with the Prime Minister's pledge that there would be no recriminations in the aftermath of the failed spill motion. 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-13/philip-ruddock-to-stand-down-as-chief-government-whip/6093194

Meanwhile at B-Team central, Abbott gives his two bob worth of pat on his own back... It was not his money that he stingily gave away... It's your money that the next LABOR government financed the thingy with... so Tony becomes Mr Proud Humble since he wasn't paraded on the press release. Kick Mike Baird in the budgies as well. He wants to destroy Sydney with his 1980s WestCONnex, resurrected from 1950s plans. At the next election vote Socialist, Green or Labor and place the Libs (CONservatives) last:

"As health minister back in 2007, I was pleased and proud to be able to kick off federal funding of this centre with $10 million," he told the crowd, which included former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek.

"Another government put in some $170 million. I suppose that means that I am a member of the B-team.

"Be there at the start, be there at the finish, but in the meantime let other people do the heavy lifting," he joked.

There had been speculation that the unpopular Mr Abbott, who narrowly survived a leadership challenge this week, would not be welcome in NSW as the Baird government hits the campaign trail ahead of the March 28 election.

Premier Mike Baird also attended the event. His email alert to the media on Friday morning made no mention of Mr Abbott's attendance, and neither man gave a press conference after the event.

read more:

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/tony-abbott-on-the-bteam-at-mike-baird-launch-of-chris-obrien-cancer-hospital-20150213-13drc3.html