Scott Morrison’s first job is arranging his new cabinet

SCOTT Morrison will try to heal ­Liberal Party wounds by reshaping cabinet based on merit, with a strong Queensland focus and a view to promoting talented women.

SCOTT Morrison will try to heal ­Liberal Party wounds by reshaping cabinet based on merit, with a strong Queensland focus and with a view to promoting talented women.

Coup leader Peter Dutton and his mate Mathias Cormann will keep their jobs, but Tony Abbott will not be resurrected into cabinet.

Scott Morrison, pictured with former Revenue and Financial Service Minister Kelly O'Dwyer, whose position is likely to be changed, will be having conversations with colleagues over the weekend as he reshapes the cabinet. Picture: AAP

The new Prime Minister told colleagues ahead of yesterday morning’s vote that stability and continuity would be important to him, and that he would not seek any retribution for those who chose to vote against him in the leadership battle.

New deputy Liberal leader Josh Frydenberg was last night sworn in as federal Treasurer.

He has previously served in a junior economic portfolio, and had the unenviable task of battling through the energy portfolio.

Peter Dutton returns to Brisbane after losing his challenge on Friday. Picture: AAP

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Mr Morrison will today bunker down to form his new cabinet, where there will be a focus on stability in key portfolios to ensure continuity of ­government while looking to the “new generation” of talented politicians.

Marise Payne has served as Minister of Defence.

“I will be considering the formation of the ministry and the cabinet over the course of the weekend,” he said.

“What the party voted for was that stable choice, moving to a new generation, and that means that we’ll have continuity, but there will be points of emphasis and direction that we’ll be consulting with our cabinet on.”

Mr Morrison’s leadership rival Peter Dutton will remain in the role of Home Affairs Minister, ahead of a crucial Five Eyes international security meeting that Australia is chairing for the first time next week.

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“I look forward, if he so chooses, for him to be playing a role in the government which I intend to lead,” Mr Morrison said of Mr Dutton.

The Saturday Telegraph understands that Mr Dutton will keep this portfolio.

Mr Morrison will not hold any grudges against Mathias Cormann, who was key in topping Malcolm Turnbull, and he will be given the chance to remain as Finance Minister.

Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and former deputy leader Julie Bishop leave the Liberal Party room meeting on Friday.

Party veteran Christopher Pyne was a key Turnbull supporter. Picture: Annette Dew

To heal wounds with the conservative faction, which suffered a spectacular loss yesterday, Mr Morrison is expected to promote either Alan Tudge or Angus Taylor.

Mr Abbott will not be given a role in cabinet, but is unlikely to be ostracised from Mr Morrison’s government in the same way he was under Mr Turnbull.

There will also be fresh faces in Mr Morrison’s new-look ministry and cabinet.

MPs who will be considered for promotion include David Coleman, Paul Fletcher, Sarah Henderson, Karen Andrews and Alex Hawke.

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Numbers man Ben Morton may get a junior position, while Queenslander Stuart Roberts and Sussan Ley may make a long-awaited return to the ministry or outer-ministry.

To avoid having two Victorians in the Treasury portfolio, Kelly O’Dwyer would be expected to move from her current role as Financial Services Minister into a different, key portfolio.

Michaelia Cash could be backbenched after ditching Malcolm Turnbull for Peter Dutton. Picture: Kym Smith

Greg Hunt and Christian Porter would both be expected to remain in their current roles — Health and Attorney-General — while Mitch ­Fifield could get a new, more senior portfolio.

The Saturday Telegraph understands that in previous cabinet discussions, Mr Morrison had argued Defence and Defence Industry should be one portfolio, rather than split into two which has created conflict between Christopher Pyne and Marise Payne.

This would reduce the size of ­cabinet by at least one member.

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There is the possibility Ms Payne may be given a different ministry or could potentially be dropped from cabinet altogether. Others who are candidates for demotion include Michaelia Cash, who may find herself on the backbench, and Michael ­Sukkar.

The career future of Foreign Minister Julie Bishop remains unknown.

Mr Pyne, a key Turnbull man, will remain in a senior role, such as Defence, or could move into the Foreign Affairs portfolio if Julie Bishop chooses not to continue.

Unlike Mr Turnbull, who will deprive the government of its one-seat majority when he quits parliament, Ms Bishop has told colleagues she will not desert the Liberal Party.

Ms Bishop is understood to be considering whether to change to a domestic portfolio or even move to the backbench ahead of retiring at the next election.

She will be given the option of remaining in a senior role in Mr Morrison’s cabinet, even as Foreign Minister, where Mr Morrison said she had been a “rock star”.

“She has been an amazing contributor and driver of foreign policy, and an advocate for Liberal values from one end of this country to the other and one end of this world to the other,” he said.

“I will be talking to her, obviously, about what role she would like to play in the government that we will now seek to put together.”

ABBOTT INSISTS HE CAN HELP ‘SAVE’ COALITION

TONY Abbott yesterday pledged to do everything he can to save the government despite his choice of candidate missing out on the leadership.

But the Liberal party room decision to hand the prime ministership to Scott Morrison likely kills off any hopes Mr Abbott had of returning to the ministry. He was widely tipped to return to the front bench had Peter Dutton succeeded.

Tony Abbott: “There is a government to save.” Picture: Ray Strange

“We have lost the prime minister, there is a government to save,” Mr Abbott said.

“That’s what all of us will do our best to do now, to save the government.”

Mr Abbott said that after a week of leadership tension, MPs and senators were able to remind themselves “we are the custodians of great traditions”.

“The Liberal tradition of smaller government, greater freedom, lower taxes, the conservative traditional support for families, small business and values and institutions ... have stood the rich test of time,” he said.

“But above all we are patriots, we want to make sure the country is strong and as good as it possibly can be, based on the wonderful achievements we ­already have to our name.”

Close ally Kevin Andrews urged Mr Abbott to continue to contribute to public policy debate because he still had a valuable contribution to make.

“He still has a lot to contribute, I would have thought, and what we need to do now is all get together and work together — not exclude any one person or faction or grouping, but to realise that we are a broad church,” Mr Andrews said.

“And if we do that — we have a chance of winning back the confidence of the people of Australia.”