Why Peter Dutton failed in his bid to roll Malcolm Turnbull for the Prime Ministership

THINGS didn’t go according to script this week for Liberal leadership aspirant Peter Dutton. Here’s how and why his campaign to dislodge Malcolm Turnbull came unstuck.

IN THE end it was down to five votes.

Five people between Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison becoming Prime Minister.

Five people who could have stopped a spill from even happening in the first vote within the party room and kept Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister.

The race was tight, right until the very end.

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Senators Mitch Fifield, Mathias Cormann and Michaelia Cash on Thursday. Their public show of support was heralded as a game changer for the leadership crisis, but there were still surprises in store for all.

There was a flurry of movement between Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton’s offices in the ministerial wing, which are across the hall from one another.

MPs and senators were moving in and out all morning.

But as MPs in favour of a Peter Dutton Prime Ministership neared the 12.20pm party room meeting their faces gave away just a hint of the fact it might be all over for them.

Many shut down, were stony faced and stopped responding to texts.

It took a little over 10 minutes for Liberal MPs to vote in favour of a Scott Morrison Prime Ministership: 45 votes to the NSW Member for Cook Mr Morrison and 40 votes to the Queensland Member for Dickson Mr Dutton.

Mr Morrison is now the nation’s 30th Prime Minister of Australia and the nation’s seventh leader in 11 years. His Deputy is Josh Frydenberg, who served as Energy Minister under Malcolm Turnbull and therefore responsible in part for formulating the policy of a National Energy Guarantee — which in many respects was a catalyst for the latest challenge.

Prime Minister-elect Scott Morrison leaves the party room with his deputy, Josh Frydenberg after winning the vote. Picture: Ray Strange

Last night Dutton’s camp, who by this morning rallied 43 signatures to bring on today’s party room meeting were quietly confident they would win.

This was despite the looming advice of the Solicitor General on Mr Dutton’s eligibility under Section 44 of the Constitution.

When Solicitor General Stephen Donaghue’s advice came through today and left open questions about Mr Dutton’s ability to serve in parliament due to his family trust interests in two childcare centres in Brisbane that may benefit from the government’s new childcare subsidy, it further fostered doubt for those MPs wavering.

This was blow one.

The second blow to Mr Dutton’s camp was Mitch Fifield’s reported switching of allegiances to the Morrison camp.

Senator Fifield yesterday stood with Mathias Cormann and Michaelia Cash and said Mr Turnbull no longer had his support.

Senator Cormann was this morning openly backing Mr Dutton for the role of Prime Minister and yesterday the Victorian Senator Fifield was with him.

But Senator Fifield’s switch to Mr Morrison was likely to have swayed those in his faction to side with the Member for Cook.

Former prime minister Tony Abbott looked defeated after today’s party room meeting. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The third blow was likely reports this morning that emerged suggesting an unnamed Victorian Liberal MP would sit on the cross benches if Mr Dutton became Prime Minister.

Even if those reports were not true — they seeded more doubts in the minds of those that needed shifting.

With a narrow margin in the House of Representatives, MPs would have been nervous to endorse a result that resulted in the government not being able to govern.

Some suggested Dutton pushed too hard too soon, while Mr Morrison quietly worked in the background to secure a win.

Peter Dutton arriving at the party room meeting this morning. Picture: David Gray/AFP

Others said MPs were scared of installing a Trump-like Dutton to the nation’s top job.

Either way, it is likely the result today will not resolve the tensions within the party.

The push for Mr Dutton to become Prime Minister was driven by the uber conservative factions within the party. They said Mr Turnbull — who was much more liberal than conservative — had allowed the rise of One Nation and other extreme right parties. The Liberal Party was “bleeding votes to the right” one said.

Mr Morrison’s election will not abate their concerns and the infighting is likely to continue.

One MP texted after the vote to say the instability would not stop.

“This is not over,” the said.

Time will only tell and with 40 Liberals siding with Mr Dutton in today’s ballot — it may not be long before we go through all of this again.

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