So what would a spill entail? (I've read some of the articles, but I feel like I'm missing some of the long-term context.) - Jennifer Dittrich

Basically, inside the party room someone calls for a no confidence motion (or the leader calls one to settle the issue) and the leader then "spills" their position (or several positions) which the party room vote on. - Johnny

Ahhhhhh. OK, that makes sense. Thanks! - Jennifer Dittrich

It's such a big thing here because under the previous government (Labor) Kevin Rudd was PM but once he became unpopular(ish), Julia Gillard challenged and won, becoming PM. After a few years of destabilizing tactics, Rudd challenged Gillard and won it back. Massive turmoil, defocused government and ugly politics. The current government (LNP) while in Opposition had a field day with this, often fueling speculation and it was a large pillar in what got them elected. They ran on "a strong united team without the Labor uncertainty". Now they have leadership issues of their own and all those things they said and did in Opposition are coming home to bite them. - Johnny

Getting real tired of "leadership spills" - Mo Kargas

That part made sense - it's more how the actual parliamentary procedure played into it specifically. We don't really have spills, so I wasn't sure what the consequences for the infighting would be on that piece. - Jennifer Dittrich

I wonder if the US congressional system has the same type of thing. - Johnny

Not really, as far as I can understand. They'll shout at each other behind closed doors about all sorts of things, but except for bickering over specific legislation, it rarely makes it out into the open. They also don't elect the executive, so the stakes are shifted somewhat - their dislike of his initiatives won't boot him out of office, and he can't set the legislative agenda. - Jennifer Dittrich