Turnbull braces for the next wave as ministerial resignations begin
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been put on notice to expect a second challenge from conservative rival Peter Dutton within days as a number of ministers have quit or offered their resignations in a crisis over the government’s leadership and direction.
Mr Turnbull’s supporters believe the next attempt to remove him could come as soon as Thursday after he secured a narrow victory over his enemies on Tuesday, keeping his leadership by 48 to 35 votes.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said the turmoil showed that Mr Turnbull was Prime Minister “in name only” when cabinet ministers and dozens of backbenchers had lost confidence in his leadership.
Mr Dutton did not rule out a second challenge after losing the sudden ballot on Tuesday morning and resigning as Home Affairs Minister, as his allies try to gain the seven votes they need to win a second ballot.
In a key move to highlight the discontent over the government direction, International Development Minister Concetta Fierravanti-Wells resigned on Tuesday night while going public with her concerns about Mr Turnbull and his leadership.
“Our conservative base strongly feel that their voice has been eroded,” she wrote to Mr Turnbull.
“They need some demonstrable indication that there are conservative voices around your cabinet table.”
Senator Fierravanti-Wells pointed out that she had expressed her views to Mr Turnbull on issues in January including her fear the Liberal Party was moving too far to the left.
Two other frontbenchers who voted for Mr Dutton, assistant ministers Michael Sukkar and James McGrath, offered their resignations to Mr Turnbull late yesterday while others are considering doing the same. Mr Turnbull has not accepted Mr Sukkar's resignation.
In an interim measure amid continuing division, Mr Turnbull named Treasurer Scott Morrison as Home Affairs Minister to fill the gap in the ministry.
The Prime Minister declared that “unity is absolutely critical” and warned his colleagues against allowing their divisions to help Mr Shorten win power at the next election.
“We’ve got to put 25 million Australians first. They hate it when we are talking about each other,” he said.
Mr Dutton tried to soften his image as a hard-line conservative on social issues and border protection, declaring he would “love” to get all refugees off Nauru and Manus Island.
He insisted he was a better leader to fight Mr Shorten at the next election and named immigration and infrastructure as key areas of interest, signalling a potential cut to the migrant intake without confirming an alternative policy plan.
“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 after the vote.
Asked at least five times on Sky News about a second spill and his future ambitions, Mr Dutton said his ambition was to beat Mr Shorten.
Fairfax Media understands that those in cabinet who voted against Mr Turnbull included Health Minister Greg Hunt, Human Services Minister Michael Keenan and Trade Minister Steve Ciobo, fuelling talk about further resignations to build pressure for another spill.
Those in the outer ministry who voted for Mr Dutton included Citizenship Minister Alan Tudge, Cyber Security Minister Angus Taylor and Senator Fierravanti-Wells.
Mr Hunt declined to comment on which way he voted but other MPs named the Victorian minister as a contender for the deputy leadership if the spill had been successful.
Government sources dismissed talk that Mr Turnbull would call an early election, while Mr Dutton’s supporters believe he would need time in office to prepare to face voters if he succeeded in a second spill.
Fairfax Media understands Mr Turnbull only confided in two people, Ms Bishop and Ms Marino, before setting up the leadership vote.
The move came after Mr Dutton visited Mr Turnbull in the ministerial wing of Parliament House shortly before the formal meeting, clearing the way for a decision over the leadership as conservatives agitate for a change in the government's direction.
One of Mr Turnbull's supporters described the decision to bring on the vote as a "gutsy call" that worked to defeat his opponent.
As the Prime Minister's camp expected, the conservatives within the party room and many Queensland MPs voted for Mr Dutton.
Of the 85 members of the federal Liberal party room, 83 voted. One member abstained while another, Arthur Sinodinos, was absent due to illness.
The margin of victory for Mr Turnbull, 13 votes, is a similar result to his challenge against Mr Abbott in September 2015, when he defeated the then prime minister by a margin of 10 votes, 54 to 44.
Mr Dutton could unseat Mr Turnbull by gaining another seven votes, leading to a tie that would make the Prime Minister’s position untenable.