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Dutton resigns after Turnbull survives Liberal leadership spill 48-35 – politics live
Dutton resigns after Turnbull survives Liberal leadership spill 48-35 – politics live
(35 minutes later)
Labor has made some changes to the shadow ministry:
The bookies have switched up the October election odds.
Linda Burney MP will become the new Shadow Minister for Families and Social Services. This portfolio is vital to our policy agenda and central to our party’s values. I know Linda will prove a worthy successor to Jenny Macklin.
Sportsbet has October as the new favourite in the market, moving from $10 into $2.50 following the spill.
Ed Husic MP will retain his role as Shadow Minister for the Digital Economy while also taking on the new challenge of Shadow Minister for Human Services. I’m confident that Ed’s eye for detail and his thorough calm will serve job-seekers and vulnerable Australians well.
Malcolm Turnbull is now $1.55 to be leader at the election, with Peter Dutton not ruled out on $2.55.
In addition to her current responsibilities as Shadow Minister for Young Australians and Youth Affairs, Terri Butler MP will take on the role of Shadow Minister for Employment Services, Workforce Participation and Future of Work. Young Australians have got a raw deal from this government for far too long, and I think it’s important that their dedicated representative in the Shadow Ministry also has a say in shaping the workplaces of the future.
Another leadership spill is likely to happen at odds of $1.55; not occurring pays $2.25.
Senator Jenny McAllister will serve as the Shadow Assistant Minister for Families and Communities – a promotion that reflects her outstanding work in the Senate.
Labor has been the main benefactor from today, moving from $1.45 into $1.40 to win the election; the Coalition is out to $2.85 from $2.50.
Senator Louise Pratt, who is passionate about fair, affordable and accessible higher education, will take on the job of Shadow Assistant Minister for Universities.
A rather prescient study was released this week, measuring public trust in all levels of government. It was released ahead of a symposium that’s brought anti-corruption and governance academics to Canberra. The study shows only 46% of Australians still trust the federal government a “great deal” or a “fair amount”. About 51.8% rated their trust of federal government as “not very much” or “none at all”. It’s hard to blame anyone, really, given the current circus in parliament. Other results of interest:
Bill Shorten finishes his statement with “I thank all my team for their hard work and their unity of purpose.”
85% of respondents said they believed some, most or all of the federal members of parliament were corrupt
Our Queensland correspondent, Ben Smee, talked a little bit about Peter Dutton’s level of name recognition earlier.
two-thirds supported the establishment of a federal anti-corruption body
It’s one of the questions marks hovering over him, should he take a second tilt at the leadership.
You can read our full report here.
Is Dutton well-known to the broader public? Guardian Australia has run two profiles of Dutton in recent years. The first explored this very question.
The real winner here is apparently Julie Bishop. She is apparently the Highlander of leadership challenges.
Our reporter travelled to the electorate of Dickson and spoke to his constituents. Dutton was a stranger to most.
Julie Bishop's extraordinary capacity for #libspill survival. - 2007 Defeats Pyne and Robb to be elected deputy under Nelson- 2008 retains deputy under Turnbull- 2009 retains deputy under Abbott- 2015 retains deputy under Turnbull- 2018 survives challenge to Turnbull
One woman, sitting 500m from his office, asked our reporter “who is Peter Dutton?”.
Outside of parliament, Paul Karp has just pointed me to this:
Another was asked who there local member was: “Is it Paul Smith?” he replied.
BREAKING: AWU raids trial adjourned again, for at least four weeks, pending decision from commonwealth prosecutors on charges over AFP investigation #auspol #ausunions
Past Labor polling has found Dickson to be one of the least politically engaged in the country.
One Liberal MP: The PM showed no contrition, no "I've listened and learnt". He just spoke about unity. He's a banker who thinks 50% + 1 means you've been successful like its a company takeover.
All in a day’s work.
“Unity has to be created and loyalty has to be earned. They can’t just be demanded” – Tony Abbott.
Parliament officially starts at 12pm.
In addition to Warren Entsch criticising Tony Abbott for breaking his promise of “no wrecking, no sniping” we hear that Nationals MP Damian Drum also issued a “scathing assessment” of people leaking and undermining the leadership.
But all the action will be in on the phones and in the halls.
“You’re a fucking disgrace,” he said according to one Liberal MP.
It was only just over two years ago that Malcolm Turnbull tipped in $1.75 million of his own money to get the Coalition over the line at the 2016 election.
The PMO is VERY quickly hosing down early election speculation.
Seems like everyone is really, super grateful.
Which makes sense - because they would be absolutely destroyed.
O-P-T-I-C-S
Tony Abbott has come out of the meeting denouncing leakers
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and deputy Michael McCormack emerge from joint party room meeting where the PM earlier survived a vote on his leadership against Home affairs minister Peter Dutton 48 -35 @AmyRemeikis @GuardianAus @murpharoo #politicslive pic.twitter.com/zSGhQE6joh
pic.twitter.com/t8geuEHjlP
Sean Kelly wrote about what giving Peter Dutton the home affairs portfolio would mean, last year.
Darren Chester then all but tells Tony Abbott to consider his future:
I wrote this last year, and, sadly, it has become more relevant today. https://t.co/XSjkz1km9s pic.twitter.com/cXHg6lHgwm
Well, individuals need to assess their own position at a time like this. If you are proposed to be part of the team. If you are prepared to become the prime minister of the day and help him deliver his agenda, then stay part of the team. If you don’t want to be part of the team, then consider your future.
Annnnnnd it is definitely the backbench:
“I would simply say to my colleagues, the circus has to stop,” Darren Chester says. “There has been a vote and the prime minister won. Back the prime minister and give him an opportunity to finish the job that he started and deliver for all Australians”
Dutton did not accept PM's offer to remain in Cabinet and has resigned to move to the backbench.
On the second challenge:
If we look purely at the Essential poll results for preferred prime minister in the last 12 months, the current crisis facing Malcolm Turnbull seems odd. He has consistently been more than 10 points above Bill Shorten in the preferred prime minister stakes. The latest result, from just last week, puts Turnbull at 41% for preferred PM, well above Shorten at 27%.
“For those who think that there is some second-strike theory working here, consider this: we have a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives, there is no reason to assume that anyone else could command that seat of majority in the House of Representatives. What I say to you simply and my colleagues: prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has the backing of the Liberal party room. Michael McCormack as deputy prime minister has the backing of the National party room. We are a team that needs to focus on delivering for Australians and that is the job we have been elected to do.”
It was a similar result for Turnbull’s approval rating. Last week, 42% of respondents said they approved of the job Turnbull was doing as PM. That’s about eight points ahead of the Labor leader.
Darren Chester is the first government MP to face the cameras after the Liberal party spill.
Of course, we know it’s not as simple as measuring leader against leader. If we take a look at the two-party-preferred vote, the Coalition has been consistently behind Labor. In fact, the Coalition has not won an Essential poll since mid-2016. The gap had narrowed considerably earlier this year, putting Labor only marginally ahead at 51-49. The results show lots of movement, back and forth, within the margin of error in the past year. The last result put Labor in a winning position at 52-48.
He is a Nationals MP, and has set up to talk about road funding in Gippsland. But everyone is there for the main show.
We also know the Coalition pays most attention to Newspoll. There is another Newspoll due on Monday. It could deal a huge body blow to Turnbull, particularly if, as expected, the public reacts badly to the current turmoil within his government.
“The prime minister convincingly won the ballot in his Liberal party room today and I encourage my colleagues to back the prime minister and finish the job that he started ... The people expect us to focus on them. Every minute we spend talking about ourselves and focusing on ourselves, they are switching off. Let’s back the prime minister and get the job done.”
@AmyRemeikis fun fact: if Dutton does become PM at some point, he'd be the first immigration minister to do so in over 50 years (Holt 66-67). It's a tough gig to come from.
So if the challenge doesn’t come on Thursday, it will come when parliament resumes on 10 September.
Peter Dutton is heading a different way, and is being chased by half of the media pack.
No one is talking about no second challenge. No one.
This is never a very graceful process.
Everyone expects a second one, it is just a question of when.
Malcolm Turnbull ignored the cameras as he walked past. He was walking with Michael McCormack, because - optics.
The Liberals are filing down the hallway in groups of two, doing their best to look like EVERYTHING IS FINE.
Stuart Robert is having a joke with Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison. Jane Hume, walking with Julie Bishop, looked to give a wave. John McVeigh though (who sits in the regional Queensland seat of Groom but is counted as a Lib) looks pretty down. Steve Ciobo also looks like he has had better days, as does Linda Reynolds.
Basically, this is a good way of working out who in the Liberal party you want to play poker with.
The room has broken – they are all out.
This is not surprising:
Warren Entsch is apparently getting stuck into Tony Abbott right now in the party room, met with some claps #auspol
This isn’t the first time Entsch has got stuck into Tony Abbott over his “no wrecking, no sniping” promise – and has repeated it back to him.
Entsch is also not that into backgrounding – he’ll say it publicly, if he feels like it. It looks like that list I posted a little bit ago, on where the Queensland contingent probably fell, is pretty spot on.
Eric Abetz and James McGrath have wandered out.
Meanwhile, talk in speculation land is firming that another challenge is looming on Thursday.
The Liberal party-room meeting has ended- and MPs are starting to trickle out.
Back in Queensland – and Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson – Ben Smee tells us there is not a lot of awareness their local member has challenged for the leadership:
Dutton will, of course, now have more time to campaign in his marginal electorate of Dickson, also considered to be one of the least engaged in the country.
What do the Stamford locals think about Dutton’s leadership challenge and resignation from cabinet?
“I don’t even have a radio, mate,” says one.
“Oh, is he the member here? That’s probably really bad of me, I didn’t know,” says Susan, while picking up her morning coffee from a shop playing Land Down Under (and not the news) quite loudly. “I know a lot of people don’t like him, so that’s probably a good thing he’s not prime minister then.”
