Ministers quit as Malcolm Turnbull sinks

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull faces a fresh crisis with the threat of a second challenge to his leadership looming.

Dutton supporters have suggested a new challenge was most likely to come when parliament returned next month. Picture: Kym Smith

Malcolm Turnbull is facing a fresh crisis with the threat of a second challenge to his leadership looming, after three cabinet ministers and five junior conservative frontbenchers quit or offered to resign, having voted for Peter Dutton in yesterday’s ­partyroom ballot.

Trade Minister Steve Ciobo, Human Services Minister ­Michael Keenan and Health Minister Greg Hunt last night offered to step down, telling Mr Turnbull they had not backed him in the ballot brought on by the Prime Minister to head off a growing ­rebellion.

LIVE: Follow the unfolding developments from Canberra in our PoliticsNow blog

The trio met Mr Turnbull after question time to offer their resignations but Mr Turnbull refused to accept them. He has only accepted the resignations of Mr Dutton and senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who wrote a scathing letter criticising Mr Turnbull’s leadership.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells — in her letter confirming that she was resigning as minister for international development and the ­Pacific — accused the Prime Minister of eroding the Liberal Party base and moving the party too far to the left.

“Our conservative base ­strongly feel their voice has been eroded,” Senator Fierravanti-Wells said in her letter.

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“They needed some demonstrable indication that there are conservative voices around your cabinet table.”

The exodus of conservatives was sparked when Mr Dutton stepped down as the country’s first home affairs minister after falling only seven votes short of victory in a shock ballot brought on by Mr Turnbull in yesterday’s Liberal partyroom meeting. Mr Turnbull’s move to catch Mr Dutton off guard and shore up his leadership almost backfired, as he won the ballot by only 48 votes to 35.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells’ resignation letter

The rebel frontbenchers also included Minister for Law ­Enforcement and Cybersecurity Angus Taylor, Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar; Assistant Minister for the Prime Minister James ­McGrath and Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation, Zed Seselja.

Supporters of Mr Dutton yesterday suggested a new challenge was most likely to come when parliament returned next month, coinciding with Mr Turnbull’s likely 40th consecutive Newspoll loss to Mr Shorten. Mr Turnbull is scheduled to travel on a six-day Asia-­Pacific tour next week.

In a counter-move by moderates, The Australian understands that, if Mr Dutton won a second ballot, leading moderates including Julie Bishop, have threatened to resign from parliament, stripping the government of its slim majority and triggering a general election.

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Speaking after the leadership contest, a diminished Mr Turnbull said the result had “confirmed my leadership”, while Ms Bishop said it was a “resounding vote of support in the leadership team”.

In an open assault on Mr Turnbull’s authority following the ballot, Mr Dutton refused to rule out a second tilt at the top job and declared himself to have the better chance of defeating Labor at the next election. Mr Dutton argued that improvements were needed to the government’s policy platform and political messaging, but refrained from identifying mistakes made by Mr Turnbull or referencing his 38 consecutive Newspoll losses as a reason for the challenge.

“The problem is that Bill Shorten would be a disastrous prime minister of this country,” Mr Dutton said. “And I believe that I have the best prospect of leading the Liberal Party to success at the next election. I believe very strongly we can win the election if we get the policies and the message right.”

Mr Dutton said he had rejected an offer from Mr Turnbull to stay in cabinet as home affairs minister because it was the “honourable” thing to do and he was looking forward to his new role on the backbench where he could “smile” and show a different side of himself.

Flagging his intention to speak out on policy, Mr Dutton identified core themes on which he wanted the Coalition to campaign — including lower electricity prices, greater controls on population and more water investment to help farmers endure the drought. He also urged government to “invest record amounts” in health, education and aged care — key areas of strength for Labor — in a bid to defuse an election scare campaign by Mr Shorten.

In a bid to broaden his appeal, Mr Dutton also distanced himself from Tony Abbott and used a Sky News interview to reject suggestions he was a puppet for the former Liberal prime minister.

In a public statement yesterday, Mr Ciobo fell short of endorsing Mr Turnbull. “The partyroom has decided the leadership of our party. We must now unite to defeat Labor,” Mr Ciobo said.

Mr Keenan issued a statement claiming he would give Mr Turnbull his support.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells said her suggestion to Mr Turnbull about Mr Dutton being promoted to deputy leader was ignored, and confirmed that the Prime Minister’s senior adviser Sally Cray also failed to act.

Senator Fierravanti-Wells also had a parting shot at Ms Bishop, saying she was disappointed that comments she made to The Australian in January about China were criticised by the Foreign Minister.

Mr Turnbull warned that “disunity undermines the ability of any government to get its job done”.

“Unity is absolutely critical,” he said. “United we will maintain the strong momentum and the great achievements our government.

“I don’t bear any grudge against Peter Dutton for having stood up and challenged me today and I invited him to continue in his position. It’s important that we put differences behind us”.

Some were unhappy with the response from Mr Turnbull given the strong message from the partyroom to lift his performance.

Mr Shorten used question time to launch a full-scale attack on Mr Turnbull, declaring him a Prime Minister “in name only” who “stands for nothing and fights for nothing except his own job”.

“This government has lost the will to live,” Mr Shorten said.

Moving a motion of no confidence against the Prime Minister, Mr Shorten accused Mr Turnbull of leading a divided government, declaring “nothing you can do will change that fact”. The motion was defeated by 76 votes to 67.

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke also foreshadowed a Labor attack on Mr Dutton, slamming his management of the health portfolio and branding him the architect of the unpopular “GP tax” which sought to impose a $7 co-payment on patients for doctor visits.

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: ROSIE LEWIS, GREG BROWN