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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull holds on to power but faces a major reshuffle as ministers revolt

MALCOLM Turnbull has asked the ministers who offered their resignation to pledge not to challenge or vote against him in any future spills. One conservative MP said Mr Turnbull’s demand was like Kim Jong-un’s bid to be the supreme leader for life.

MALCOLM Turnbull has asked the ministers who offered their resignation to pledge not to challenge or vote against him in any future spills.

Some of the ministers are understood to be highly unconformable with the request because they are loyalists to challenger Peter Dutton.

One conservative MP, aware of the request to the ministers, told the The Daily Telegraph Mr Turnbull’s demand was like Kim Jong-un’s bid to be the supreme leader for life.

Over the past day, 10 junior and Cabinet ministers have offered their resignation to the Prime Minister for supporting Mr Dutton in the spill.

Mr Turnbull is understood to have said he would not accept their resignations and would keep them in his ministerial team on the condition they pledged their loyalty to him.

This comes as Treasurer Scott Morrison has started to emerge as a possible consensus candidate for leader.

Human Services Minister and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Michael Keenan offered to resign. Picture: Kym Smith
Human Services Minister and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Digital Transformation Michael Keenan offered to resign. Picture: Kym Smith
Minister for Trade Steve Ciobo has offered his resignation. Picture: AAP
Minister for Trade Steve Ciobo has offered his resignation. Picture: AAP

This would involve the guarantee they would not vote against him in any future challenge.

The request has put the ministers who back Mr Dutton in a difficult position, and has led to a delay in some deciding whether to remain in Mr Turnbull’s team or move to the backbench.

The ministers who have offered their resignation but it has not been accepted include Michael Keenan, Greg Hunt, Steve Ciobo, Michael Sukkar, Zed Seselja, Angus Taylor, Alan Tudge, James McGrath.

MORE: Why Dutton challenged the PM

MORE: Follow the live updates

The Prime Minister has accepted the resignations of Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and Mr Dutton.

It was revealed today that Mr Turnbull will have a mini-reshuffle of his ministry after the wave of resignations from Mr Dutton’s loyalists in the wake of yesterday’s damaging leadership spill.

The Prime Minister won the overwhelming support of his party-room with a vote of 48 to 35, but is now bracing for a second challenge from an emboldened Mr Dutton within weeks — and as early as tomorrow.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne and former minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne and former minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton. Picture: AAP

The Daily Telegraph can reveal Cabinet ministers ­Michael Keenan, Steven Ciobo and Greg Hunt have offered to resign for voting against the Prime Minister, but Mr Turnbull asked them to stay on.

And last night junior ministers in the Turnbull Government were falling like flies: Michael Sukkar, James McGrath, Zed Seselja along with Ministers Angus Taylor and Concetta Fieravanti-Wells have resigned to join Mr Dutton on the backbench, after voting against Mr Turnbull in the spill. Mr Turnbull may not accept all of their resignations.

When the Prime Minister declared the Liberal leadership vacant yesterday morning in a move that shocked the party room, he bought himself time, rather than sitting and waiting for Mr Dutton.

He was confident he commanded the majority of support from his Cabinet and Liberal colleagues and emerged victorious — but just seven votes away from losing his grip on power.

Ministers who resigned alongside Dutton

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. Picture: AAP Image/David Moir
Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. Picture: AAP Image/David Moir
Angus Taylor. Picture Kym Smith
Angus Taylor. Picture Kym Smith
Michael Sukkar. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Michael Sukkar. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Zed Seselja. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Zed Seselja. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
James McGrath. Picture: Supplied
James McGrath. Picture: Supplied

“The Liberal Party Room has confirmed my leadership,” Mr Turnbull said at a press conference with Deputy Julie Bishop by his side.

“We know that disunity undermines the ability of any government to get its job done. We cannot allow … ­internal issues to undermine our work, to create a risk, a real risk, that Bill Shorten will be the Prime Minister.”

MORE

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian ‘deeply disappointed’ with spill

Abbott declares ‘loyalty must be earned’

ANALYSIS: Turnbull believed Dutton didn’t want his job. He was wrong

Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop at a press conference with Mr Turnbull. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop at a press conference with Mr Turnbull. Picture: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas

The leadership rivals had a face-to-face meeting, lasting over 30 minutes, following the party room, where Mr Turnbull implored Mr Dutton to remain in Cabinet and in the role of Home Affairs Minister, to restore unity to his Government.

But Mr Dutton declined, choosing to move to the backbench where he is free to speak out against the Prime Minister.

SHARRI MARKSON ON THE CHALLENGE:

He will also be more free to plot his next leadership challenge, which he has not ruled out, after declaring he believes he is the best ­leader to defeat Bill Shorten at the next election.

“I made a decision to contest this ballot because I want to make sure we can keep Bill Shorten from ever being prime minister of this country,” Mr Dutton said.

“I believe that I had the best prospect of leading the Liberal Party to success at the next election.”

In doing so, he set in train a rolling period of instability for the Turnbull Government, as he prepares to mount a second challenge as early as Parliament’s first week back on September 10.

The 35 Liberal MPs who voted against Mr Turnbull are understood to have ­included Cabinet Ministers Human Services Minister Michael Keenan, Trade Minister Steven Ciobo and Health Minister Greg Hunt, and junior ministers Mr Sukkar, Zed Seselja, Karen Andrews, James McGrath, Alan Tudge and Karen Andrews.

Mr Dutton’s best mate, ­Finance Minister and Leader of the Senate, Mathias Cormann, has vowed that he backed the Prime Minister.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann vowed he backed Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann vowed he backed Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: AAP Image/Lukas Coch

MORE: Turnbull in crisis mode

Mr Hunt had been preparing to run as Mr Dutton’s deputy leader against Julie Bishop, where he may have coveted the Treasurer’s role, but pulled out when his conservative colleague did not have the numbers. The Telegraph understands Mr Hunt had been playing both sides of the fence, and had actually met with the Turnbull camp yesterday to pledge his loyalty to the Prime Minister.

Support from Treasurer Scott Morrison and centre-right faction leader Alex Hawke helped deliver Mr Turnbull the victory.

2016
July

The coalition scrapes back into power with a one-seat majority, scoring 50.4 per cent of the two-party vote

November

Proposed same-sex marriage plebiscite is defeated in the Senate

December

Government passes controversial backpacker tax

2017
January

Turnbull reshuffles cabinet after an expenses scandal forces the resignation of health minister Sussan Ley

February

PM hoses down reports he was berated by US President Donald Trump over a refugee swap deal

Cory Bernardi quits the Liberals to start his own Australian Conservatives party

March

Small business tax cuts pass parliament, but broader plan stalls

April

Turnbull unveils plans to make it harder to become an Australian citizen

May

Treasurer Scott Morrison hands down his second budget, announcing a gradual thaw of the Medicare rebate freeze that almost cost Turnbull the election

June

New bank levy clears parliament

Turnbull responds to Chief Scientist Alan Finkel’s review of the energy market with new rules to restrict gas exports and a plan to scrap a process that allows power companies to raise prices

Major school funding overhaul, aka Gonski 2.0, clears parliament with crossbench support

July

Citizenship debacle begins with Greens senator Scott Ludlam resigning. Coalition two-party position slips to 45 per cent.

August

Pauline Hanson wears a burqa in parliament. Attorney-General George Brandis describes it as an “appalling thing to do”

September

Cabinet minister Fiona Nash and crossbencher Nick Xenophon referred to the High Court over their dual citizenship

October

The High Court boots Barnaby Joyce from parliament because of his dual New Zealand citizenship, while federal minister Matt Canavan and Nick Xenophon can remain

November

61.6 per cent of Australians say yes to same-sex marriage in a postal survey

Turnbull announces a royal commission into misconduct in the financial sector

December

Barnaby Joyce wins by-election and tells parliament that he is separated

Same-sex marriage is legalised after new laws clear federal parliament

Labor senator Sam Dastyari quits parliament over his Chinese donor connections

2018
January

Turnbull pledges a year of “rewards” for Australians after two years of economic reforms

February

After news of his affair with a former staffer breaks in the media, Barnaby Joyce resigns as deputy prime minister and Nationals leader

March

Turnbull says Liberal win in South Australian election is an endorsement of the government’s energy plan

April

Turnbull loses his 30th consecutive Newspoll and shrugs it off as ministers rally around him

May

Katy Gallagher case in the High Court leads to more citizenship resignations, this time on the Labor side and crossbencher Rebekha Sharkie

June

The government’s $144 billion personal income tax cut plan passes parliament

July

A “super Saturday” of five by-elections brings no wins for the government, with four seats returning to Labor and one crossbench MP

August

Barnaby Joyce and Tony Abbott speak out over the direction of the government. * Malcolm Turnbull defeats Peter Dutton 48-35 in a party room leadership ballot. Dutton resigns from frontbench.

Mr Turnbull, who is due to go overseas on a trip to the Pacific next week, will become the longest-serving Prime Minister since John Howard if he lasts in the top job to the first week of ­September.

Labor seized on the leadership drama in Question Time, with Mr Shorten, Tanya Plibersek, Anthony Albanese and Tony Burke delivering lengthy tirades, ripping into Mr Turnbull.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/prime-minister-malcolm-turnbull-holds-on-to-power-but-faces-a-major-reshuffle-as-ministers-revolt/news-story/8a4be573b3cf23d64f1a2d780f5e5459