Victorian Liberal MP Sarah Henderson, a Turnbull backer, says she was offered a ministry in return for switching sides.
Henderson, speaking on ABC radio, criticised "acts of treachery" and confirmed the incentive offered by the Dutton camp.
"To be rewarded for an act of treachery would be a terrible thing," she said.
Malcolm Turnbull has not accepted Peter Dutton's request for a party room meeting.
The Turnbull camp are insisting the Dutton camp should present this petition showing majority support, if they have it.
But Dutton, speaking briefly with some reporters just then, says: "I wouldn't have contacted the prime minister if I didn't believe I had majority support."
So that was a...brief press conference.
Peter Dutton reiterated his earlier statement on Twitter and did not take any questions, which is unfortunate because it would be good to get some answers out of him at this stage.
Chief among them: What, exactly, is his level of support in the party room now? How many signatures are on this petition?
Peter Dutton is about to speak to the media at Parliament House.
He has also released a statement rejecting a "spurious and baseless campaign" he says has been conducted against him regarding doubts about his eligibility to be in Parliament under section 44 of the consitution.
"The timing on the eve of current events in Australian politics is curious," he says, not-so-subtly suggesting it has been pushed by Turnbull forces.
He has released his legal advice, which he says is is "unequivocal" on his constitutional eligibility.
The legal advice concludes he does not breach section 44 by virtue of the trust structure overseeing the childcare company.
It is interesting he has decided to release the advice after previously refusing to do so. It suggests the doubts have become a real problem for him.
Peter Dutton says Malcolm Turnbull no longer has majority support of the Liberal party room and he has asked the PM for another meeting.
In a tweet on Thursday morning, Dutton said he had spoken with Turnbull to tell him he "believed the majority of the party room no longer supported his leadership".
He said wanted the PM to convene another meeting so he can challenge for the top job.
Fairfax Media has confirmed that frontbenchers Michael Sukkar and Zed Seselja have officially resigned their positions in a move designed to increase pressure on Malcolm Turnbull.
Sukkar and Seselja, both from the conservative wing of the party, had offered their resignations to Turnbull after supporting Peter Dutton in Tuesday's spill but, until now, they had not been accepted. The PM told ministers who voted for Dutton that they could stay on if they gave him assurances of loyalty and support.
In a letter to Turnbull, Sukkar said: "I am unwilling to give you this commitment, and therefore formally tender my resignation."
They join James McGrath, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and Dutton himself as departures from the frontbench since Tuesday.
Nationals MP Kevin Hogan has publicly warned he will quit the Coalition and sit on the crossbench if the Liberal Party holds another leadership spill.
Citing frustration with Australia's record of churning through prime ministers, he says it's not about him preferring either Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton but rather the process itself.
"I think this is demeaning democracy and it's demeaning our parliamentary system," Hogan told ABC.
"I think the statement that I need to make is not condone this activity."
However, the NSW MP says he would guarantee supply and oppose any no confidence motions in the prime minister, whoever it is. He would consider other legislation on a case-by-case basis. He says he would still consider himself a National.
It has been suggested that Victorian Nationals minister Darren Chester could also shift to the crossbench in response to another leadership change.
Supporters of Peter Dutton last night escalated their push for a second leadership spill, collecting MPs' signatures to force Malcolm Turnbull to call a meeting of the Liberal party room.
It is still unclear how many names they have on their petition. One Turnbull-supporting Liberal MP, Jane Prentice, said last night that it had nine signatures. This is well short of the numbers they would need to bring on another challenge in the 84-person party room. Dutton backers claim they have far more and have increased their numbers since getting 35 votes in the Tuesday spill.
Dutton also faces growing questions over his eligibility to sit in Parliament because of his pecuniary interest in childcare centres that receive money from the Commonwealth.
In a move that could fuel those doubts, Attorney-General Christian Porter declared he would seek advice from the Commonwealth’s top legal advisor on whether Mr Dutton had a case to answer on his eligibility.