Who are the 35 who turned on Malcolm Turnbull and voted for Peter Dutton?
THE PRIME Minister was betrayed by 35 members of his own government. Now, those members have been revealed.
THE 35 mystery members who backed Peter Dutton over Malcolm Turnbull in today’s leadership spill have been revealed.
Although the vote is conducted via a secret ballot, Sky News has revealed the Liberal members who voted for Mr Dutton:
This morning, a vote revealed 35 members had lost faith in Mr Turnbull’s leadership and voted for Peter Dutton, who holds his own seat on a thin margin, to assume the top job.
The list includes three cabinet ministers — Minister for Trade Steve Ciobo, Minister for Health Greg Hunt and Minister for Human Services Michael Keenan.
The list shows the bulk of that overwhelming dissent — more than one-third of the party room — originated in the conservative branch, led no doubt by the man Mr Turnbull knifed, Tony Abbott.
It’s these figures who would have emboldened Mr Dutton to take a significant gamble, losing his cherished mega Home Affairs portfolio in the process.
In addition to Mr Abbott, several of the 35 members listed would not come as a surprise. These include party elder Kevin Andrews, hard-right figure Tasmanian Senator Eric Abetz, ACT Senator Zed Seselja, Victorian powerbroker Michael Sukkar and conservative West Australian Christian Andrew Hastie.
There was earlier speculation in Canberra circles that Health Minister Greg Hunt had fallen behind Mr Dutton, which, according to Sky, proved correct.
There were also whispers today about Finance Minister Mathias Cormann turning against the PM, after he did not walk into the party room meeting with Mr Turnbull.
However, it turned out Mr Cormann sided with the Prime Minister.
Given Turnbull only just won a snap spill -and now Dutton has time to properly do his numbers -I reckon Turnbull will call an October election before he gets rolled properly.
— Dee Madigan (@deemadigan) August 21, 2018
The PM has to now go into the reps chamber knowing roughly 4 out of 5 people in there don't want him in the top job.
— Charles Croucher (@ccroucher9) August 20, 2018
Significant Victorian faction backing Dutton, headed by Greg Hunt who “desperately†wants to be deputy, multiple MPs say.
— rob harris (@rharris334) August 21, 2018
A Canberra source said the best bet on Mr Dutton’s strongest Queensland supporters were Bert van Manen, Luke Howarth, Jane Prentice, Stuart Roberts and John McVeigh.
Trevor Evans, considered to be a polar opposite to Mr Dutton, was said to have voted for him, but his name was not listed by Sky. Mr Evans is his former chief of staff.
Canberra insiders also correctly believed Queensland’s Andrew Laming and Adelaide’s Nicole Flint voted for Mr Dutton.
While Mr Turnbull held onto his job, securing 48 votes to Mr Dutton’s 35, the spill today shows how deeply divided the Liberal Party has become. And it’s unlikely to repair itself anytime soon.
MORE: Peter Dutton’s telling move after spill
Professor Gregory Melleuish from Wollongong University said the era of former PM John Howard’s “broad church” was over.
“Once he was gone, the Liberal Party seemed to erupt in conflict between liberals and conservatives,” Professor Melleuish said. “More than a decade later, the conflict shows few signs of reaching a peaceful resolution.”
Questions over who he can no longer trust will no doubt occupy the prime minister’s thoughts.
He needs to appoint a new Minister for Home Affairs, and there may be a broader cabinet shuffle to weed out future dissenters.
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