Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull faces a political headache

THE Turnbull Government is facing a New Year dilemma, after the PM lost two ministers in one day. Now experts reveal what’s to come.

THE Turnbull Government is facing a New Year Cabinet dilemma, with the Prime Minister losing two ministers in one day.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced a series of acting appointments yesterday following the shock departure of Cities and the Built Environment Minister Jamie Briggs and Special Minister of State Mal Brough.

But Coalition sources have told News Corp Australia a reshuffle isn’t on the cards in the short-term.

They believe Mr Turnbull will wait until Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss decides whether he’ll retire to make any permanent changes.

Mr Truss is widely expected to announce his retirement in the New Year.

The Nationals Leader was reportedly one of the key orchestrators of Liberal MP Ian Macfarlane’s failed defection to the party, along with Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce.

Mr Macfarlane’s bid to move to the National party-room was widely viewed as a manoeuvre to secure him a place in the Cabinet after being overlooked for a frontbench position when Mr Turnbull took over from Tony Abbott in September.

Mr Macfarlane has made no secret of the fact he was angry about the move and has said he would spend Christmas thinking about his political future after his defection to the National Party was blocked.

Warren Truss is yet to announce his future.

Ian MacFarlane had a failed defection this year. Picture: Tim Marsden

At the time it was believed Mr Truss would use Mr Macfarlane’s defection to demand an additional Cabinet seat for the Nationals.

Mr Turnbull’s latest political problem comes after Mr Briggs announced he would quit the frontbench after an incident with a female public servant during a Hong Kong trip — the same day Mr Brough said he would stand aside.

Under fire ... Mal Brough has stepped aside as Special Minister of State.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Turnbull did not say when a Cabinet reshuffle would take place, instead announcing Ministers to act in the place of the two ousted MPs.

“The Minister for Finance and Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate, Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann, will act as the Special Minister of State, and the Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, will act as Minister for Defence Materiel and Science,” he said.

He said Environment Minister Greg Hunt would act as a replacement for Mr Briggs.

Mr Cormann took to Twitter after the announcement to support Mr Briggs.

Sudden resignation ... Malcolm Turnbull with Jamie Briggs. Picture: AAP

“Very sad for my good friend Jamie,” the Finance Minister wrote.

“I know him as a decent, hardworking and capable contributor to our cause. He has much to contribute.”

Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson said Mr Briggs didn’t have “any choice” but to resign, and it was the end of his political career.

.@skynewsricho: Briggs seemed to be a capable young bloke, but this is pretty much the ending of his career. https://t.co/Ns8vfnfebl

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) December 29, 2015

Mr Richardson also told Sky News that he has some form when he has a few drinks.

“If you’ve got form you’ll do it again,” he said.

“He seemed to be a capable young bloke.”

But Mr Richardson said it would be “very hard to come back from it” and he would not be surprised if he leaves politics.

Deputy Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said the departures could be a sign Mr Turnbull will call an early election.

“Anyone who has watched the American TV series The West Wing knows all about the concept of ‘taking out the trash’,” she said.

“It means saving all the bad news for one day and hoping that there is so much of it you can’t report any individual piece of bad news in any detail.

“What we have seen today is the Turnbull Government’s taking out the trash day.”

She said the government was attempting to “clean off the barnacles” before going to an early election.

Mr Turnbull has previously said the election would be held in September or October.

Australian National University politics professor John Wanna said Mr Turnbull could use the departures to appoint an extra National Party member to the Cabinet and appease his Coalition partners.

“I don’t think they deserve one, but Turnbull’s got to play a very sensitive and balanced game here,” he said.

“He knows the Nationals are conservative and if they would have had a vote they would have voted for Abbott, but they don’t (have a vote) in the Liberal Party.

“He’s got a conservative wing both in the Liberal Party and also in the Nationals so he might want to give them something in the New Year when it doesn’t look as though he is rewarding Macfarlane for treachery.”

Originally published as Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull faces a political headache