Why Australians Are Putting Onions Outside

This is no trick about keeping veggies fresher: Australians are putting their onions outside—and snapping photos of them—to pay tribute to their prime minister, who will soon be prime minister no longer. Tony Abbott, who ousted Liberal Party leader Malcolm Turnbull in 2009, has now been ousted by Turnbull, who will become Australia's fourth prime minister in two years after a 54-44 party leadership vote, per the BBC. Turnbull had officially declared he would challenge Abbott for the leadership today, noting Abbott lacks "economic leadership" and would cause the coalition government to lose the next election since he's been falling behind in the polls. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who backed Turnbull's challenge, kept her role as party deputy by a 70-30 vote over Defense Minister Kevin Andrews.

"The prime ministership of this country is not a prize or a plaything to be demanded," Abbott said before the vote, per the Telegraph. "It should be something which is earned by a vote of the Australian people." After news of the challenge broke, Australians began putting onions outside their doors in honor of Abbott, who is known to eat the veggies like apples, per Mashable. The hashtag #putyouronionsout began trending on Twitter, with some remarking that it meant Abbott’s downfall as leader. Last year, people shared photos of cricket bats outside their doors using #putoutyourbats to pay tribute to late Australian cricket player Phillip Hughes. To make matter worse for Abbott, a reporter notes he'll miss out on the $600,000 per year prime minister pension. A prime minister must be in power for two years to get it; Abbott managed one year, 361 days. (More Tony Abbott stories.)