Turnbull survives leadership challenge but tensions remain as Dutton resigns to backbench
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has conceded the leadership merry go round in Canberra had “diminished” the nation’s top office. Peter Dutton hasn’t ruled out a second challenge but Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has pleaded with Liberal colleagues for unity saying disunity is death.
NSW
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MALCOLM Turnbull has defiantly announced the party room “confirmed” his leadership and warned Coalition dissenters that disunity is death.
Standing next to his deputy Julie Bishop who declared the slim win of seven votes an “overwhelming” and “resounding” result, Mr Turnbull refused to comment on Cabinet Ministers who voted against him.
“It’s a secret ballot. I don’t bare any grudge against Peter Dutton … and offered for him to continue. It’s important we put differences behind us,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Peter has done an outstanding job as Home Affairs minister and I want to thank him.
“I’ve invited him to continue in that office however he has said to me he doesn’t feel he can remain a member of my cabinet.”
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Mr Dutton has not ruled out a future challenge against Malcolm Turnbull, saying he is the best placed politician to beat Labor at the next election.
But even NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian believes stability is best for government and that the leadership merry go round in Canberra had “diminished” the nation’s top office.
Speaking in Ballina today to promote her government’s efforts to lower power prices ahead of the NSW election next March, Ms Berejiklian said her federal Liberal colleagues had “deeply disappointed her”.
“I’m deeply disappointed with what has happened federally. I think the office of Prime Minister, generally speaking, is one which unfortunately has diminished over the last decade. Nobody wants to see a constant change of leadership and it does concern me,” she said.
“What we need to do as a government is always focus on our citizens. NSW is a strong and stable government and our first priority is taking care of our citizens.”
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But back in Canberra, Mr Dutton seems determined to let the Australian public get to know him.
Giving a speech that amounted to a leadership pitch, a smiling Mr Dutton said Bill Shorten was “unfit to be prime minister of this country” and would do “all he can” to make sure the Coalition wins the next election.
“I made a decision not because I had any animosity to Malcolm Turnbull. I made a decision because I wanted to make sure we can keep Bill Shorten from ever being prime minister of this country,” he said.
“The problem is Bill Shorten would be a disastrous prime minister of this country and I believe I have the best prospect of leading the Liberal Party to success at the next election.”
Mr Dutton declined Mr Turnbull’s offer to remain in Cabinet and in the role he had long coveted as Home Affairs Minister.
The conservative Queenslander spoke about his career in the Parliament and reminded colleagues that former Prime Minister John Howard is a mentor to him.
He would not rule out a future tilt at the leadership but said he accepted today’s result, thanking his colleagues for their “considerable support in their partyroom.”
“I’m very grateful for the support they provided to me,” he said.
“I’ve served loyally four Liberal leaders including Malcolm Turnbull.
“I respect the outcome and I fully support the prime minister and the cabinet obviously.”
TURNBULL: ‘UNITY IS CRITICAL’
Mr Turnbull made a plea to his colleagues for unity, arguing that instability undermines the government’s ability to “get anything done”.
“Unity is critical. We cannot allow as I said in the party room today, our internal issues to undermine our work, to create a risk, a real risk, that Bill Shorten will be the Prime Minister,” he said.
“United we will maintain the strong momentum and the great achievements our government has made.”
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“Australian expect us to be focused on them and talking about their issues they don’t like us to be focused on ourselves or talking about each other,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Disunity undermines the ability of any government to get its job done.
“We cannot allow internal issues to undermine our work and create a real risk that Bill Shorten would be prime minister.”
Mr Turnbull faced off the leadership challenge from Peter Dutton this morning, securing 48 votes to 35.
But the strong show of support for the Queenslander shows this leadership tension is not over yet. The leadership of the Liberal Party was declared vacant at a tense party room meeting this morning.
Mr Dutton declined the prime minister’s offer to remain in Cabinet and will go to the backbench.
This decision will result in a $160,000 a year pay cut to Mr Dutton.
Chief government whip Nola Marino said Mr Turnbull called a ballot in the Liberal Party room where he was elected leader 48 to 35.
There was also an election for deputy leader, Julie Bishop being the one person to nominate for the role and remaining deputy leader.
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“It is always orderly in our party room,” Ms Marino said.
“He (the PM) thanked the colleagues for their support.”
Mr Dutton has resigned as Home Affairs Minister — a position he lobbied hard to create — and will move to the backbench.
Commentators said the 35 votes garnered by Mr Dutton represented a substantial vote against the PM with many saying had been mortally wounded.
In a troubling result for the prime minister, Mr Dutton secured support from more than 40 per cent of the party room.
Comparing that with past leadership spills, Julia Gillard won her first challenge from Kevin Rudd who was only about to collect support from about 30 per cent of his colleagues. Ms Gillard was defeated in the second spill.
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On similar numbers to Turnbull versus Dutton, Bob Hawke won his first ballot with 60 per cent of the vote to lose the second challenge.
Ousting Turnbull would be a sixth leadership change in less than 11 years.
The prime minister declared the leadership vacant after entering the party room with his deputy Julie Bishop shortly after 9am on Tuesday morning.
Mr Turnbull called the spill after a week of leadership speculation sparked by Liberals angry with his National Energy Guarantee.
‘THE HIGH COST OF CHANGING LEADER’
Mr Turnbull caved in to their demands after admitting he did not have enough support to put an emissions reduction target into law but it was not enough to stave off the leadership tension.
Before the meeting Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg said voters were tired of governments repeatedly changing their prime ministers.
“There is a high transaction cost from changing leaders. Labor’s seen that, we’ve seen that,” Frydenberg told ABC.
“I believe that Malcolm Turnbull is the right person to lead us to the next election.”
Social Services Minister Dan Tehan said he believed another leadership spill would shake the public’s trust in the parliament.
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