This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2018/aug/22/malcolm-turnbull-fights-to-hold-cabinet-together-as-dutton-hits-airwaves-politics-live
The article has changed 25 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Malcolm Turnbull fights to hold cabinet together as Dutton hits airwaves – politics live | Malcolm Turnbull fights to hold cabinet together as Dutton hits airwaves – politics live |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| While Chester is hinting that he and others could move to the crossbench, others were urging the Nationals to stay out of the quagmire. | |
| Barnaby Joyce said this morning: | |
| It’s not our fight, it’s the Liberal party’s fight. I’m sure they’ll resolve it and then we can move on ... I can’t talk for another party, right. I just can’t. | |
| Keith Pitt, Nationals MP for Hinkler, took a similar line: | |
| The leadership of the Liberal party is entirely a matter for them. | |
| It’s worth a look at the crossbench in the lower house. It’s conceivable, after a few twists and turns, that they could lead Australia to an early election. My colleague Katharine Murphy reported this morning that Rebekha Sharkie and Cathy McGowan are refusing to say whether they would guarantee supply and confidence for a Dutton government. | |
| That could come into play if Dutton wins a spill but the government loses a single member from the lower house. | |
| That could conceivably occur if Darren Chester, the Nationals MP, moves to the crossbench, as he has intimated. It could also happen if Turnbull resigns and triggers a byelection. | |
| Losing Sharkie and McGowan’s backing would leave the government exposed to a no-confidence motion, and we’d all be back down to the local primary school, eating snags, and angrily stuffing our ballots into boxes. Joy. | |
| We are getting slightly ahead of ourselves. But it’s a live option and ought be considered. | |
| The others on the crossbench have alreay made their views clear. The Greens MP Adam Bandt said he would not support Dutton. The Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie has not offered confidence and supply to Turnbull and wouldn’t promise his successor anything, either. | |
| Both voted with Labor in a no-confidence motion on Tuesday. | |
| Peter Dutton is the chief organiser of the torture of children.You’ve probably already worked this out, but there is no way I would offer him confidence & supply.It’s time for the people to turf this rotten gov out, especially if it’s led by a human rights abuser.#Greens | |
| Murphy has explained this in more detail here. | |
| Peter Dutton has already made migration a central issue to his leadership, were he to successfully challenge. | |
| Just to add some spice to that, Tony Abbott is planning a speech on migration to the Centre for Independent Studies on Monday. The spiel for the speech reads pretty much as you’d expect it to. We’re not racist, but: | |
| The overwhelming consensus is that immigration has been one of the pillars of Australia’s economic prosperity. It has also led to our nation’s cultural richness: half of us were either born overseas or have at least one parent who was born abroad. | |
| However, we should be able to debate the level and composition of the increasingly controversial annual 190,000 intake without being accused of racism or bigotry. | |
| The Victorian Nationals MP Darren Chester has warned that any potential challenger to Turnbull’s leadership – that is, Peter Dutton – should not assume that everyone in the Coalition will simply fall into line behind them. | |
| He didn’t say so in so many words, but it’s a veiled threat that he and some of his Nationals colleagues could join the crossbench if Dutton becomes PM. | |
| Here are some quotes from an ABC interview this morning: | |
| I had many conversations yesterday, and certainly a cohort of my colleagues who are worried about what direction this is taking and they’re serving their options and all options are on the table. | |
| The point that I made yesterday in a media interview is that there’s no reason why any potential challenger, whoever that may be, should assume that they can command numbers on the floor of the house of representatives, given we have a one-seat majority. Sorry it’s not a straight answer but all offers on the table in a volatile environment. | |
| My strong desire is for everyone to calm down. | |
| There was a vote held yesterday and the prime minister won that vote. The Australian people expect prime ministers to finish their terms. I know that that hasn’t happened much in the last 10 years, but I think that the Australian people expect us to do the job we’ve been sent here to do to focus on them and not to focus on each other. | |
| Let the prime minister finish his term and the Australian people will cast their judgment on us, as a government, in May next year. | |
| Foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop has been out and about this morning, speaking to ABC and Sky News. She is pleading with her colleagues to unite behind Turnbull and says she does not accept that a second spill is inevitable. | |
| She also hints that the prime minister has been successful in convincing a number of frontbenchers to stay on and back his leadership. Bishop hinted that, as a result, the numbers may be better for Turnbull. | She also hints that the prime minister has been successful in convincing a number of frontbenchers to stay on and back his leadership. Bishop hinted that, as a result, the numbers may be better for Turnbull. |
| Malcolm is wanting to heal the divisions and unite the party ... he’s asked them to stay on in the ministry. I believe a number of them are either considering that or have accepted that offer and will back him. | |
| Bishop also confirms that Turnbull accepted the resignation of Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. | |
| A bit more from Dutton’s interview. | A bit more from Dutton’s interview. |
| In a country where we’ve got an abundance of natural resource, of renewables, of coal, of hydro, and yet we’re paying some of the highest energy costs in the world. They’re the sorts of things I think we should be working on, and if we do, I believe that people will strongly support the government. | In a country where we’ve got an abundance of natural resource, of renewables, of coal, of hydro, and yet we’re paying some of the highest energy costs in the world. They’re the sorts of things I think we should be working on, and if we do, I believe that people will strongly support the government. |
| He wasn’t prepared, though, for the classic FM radio question. What’s your favourite AC/DC song? | He wasn’t prepared, though, for the classic FM radio question. What’s your favourite AC/DC song? |
| Dutton couldn’t name one. Oops. | Dutton couldn’t name one. Oops. |
| Peter Dutton is already out and about, selling himself as an alternative leader. He appeared on Triple M radio in Melbourne, an FM station, and detailed a policy agenda of sorts. It was pretty populist stuff. | Peter Dutton is already out and about, selling himself as an alternative leader. He appeared on Triple M radio in Melbourne, an FM station, and detailed a policy agenda of sorts. It was pretty populist stuff. |
| He called for the GST to be taken off power bills for families, pensioners and self-funded retirees, as well a a royal commission into electricity and fuel companies. | He called for the GST to be taken off power bills for families, pensioners and self-funded retirees, as well a a royal commission into electricity and fuel companies. |
| Labor’s Tanya Plibersek points out that Dutton supported electricity privatisation, voted to take the energy supplement from low-income Australians and resisted a royal commission into the banks. She labels his ideas as “uncosted and untested”. | Labor’s Tanya Plibersek points out that Dutton supported electricity privatisation, voted to take the energy supplement from low-income Australians and resisted a royal commission into the banks. She labels his ideas as “uncosted and untested”. |
| “What’s new here is that he wants to appear like he’s an ordinary Australian,” Plibersek tells Sky News. | “What’s new here is that he wants to appear like he’s an ordinary Australian,” Plibersek tells Sky News. |
| Dutton hitting the airwaves (Triple M Melbourne right now), laying out a policy agenda | Dutton hitting the airwaves (Triple M Melbourne right now), laying out a policy agenda |
| Here are the frontbench resignations that we know of so far. | Here are the frontbench resignations that we know of so far. |
| Who’s resigned? | Who’s resigned? |
| Peter Dutton | Peter Dutton |
| Who’s offered to resign? | Who’s offered to resign? |
| Concetta Fierravanti-Wells | Concetta Fierravanti-Wells |
| Michael Sukkar | Michael Sukkar |
| Greg Hunt | Greg Hunt |
| Zed Seselja | Zed Seselja |
| Angus Taylor | Angus Taylor |
| James McGrath | James McGrath |
| Alan Tudge | Alan Tudge |
| Concetta Fierravanti-Wells is a special case. It was reported that Turnbull had accepted her resignation, but she told the ABC this morning that she was yet to speak with the prime minister. She also could not confirm whether or not she was still on the frontbench. She didn’t appear to know. | Concetta Fierravanti-Wells is a special case. It was reported that Turnbull had accepted her resignation, but she told the ABC this morning that she was yet to speak with the prime minister. She also could not confirm whether or not she was still on the frontbench. She didn’t appear to know. |
| Steve Ciobo was also expected to offer his resignation last night, but later tweeted that the party must unite under Turnbull. | Steve Ciobo was also expected to offer his resignation last night, but later tweeted that the party must unite under Turnbull. |
| Hello, and welcome to what’s shaping up to be another momentous day in the madhouse. | Hello, and welcome to what’s shaping up to be another momentous day in the madhouse. |
| It’s Christopher Knaus here, filling in for my colleague Amy Remeikis. | It’s Christopher Knaus here, filling in for my colleague Amy Remeikis. |
| Events are already moving at a high tempo. Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership remains in serious jeopardy. We saw a flurry of late-night resignations from the frontbench last night, timed to heap further pressure on the prime minister. Turnbull is desperately trying to keep his cabinet together and has flat out refused to accept the resignations of some senior ministers. So far, it’s believed he has only accepted the resignations of Peter Dutton and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. | Events are already moving at a high tempo. Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership remains in serious jeopardy. We saw a flurry of late-night resignations from the frontbench last night, timed to heap further pressure on the prime minister. Turnbull is desperately trying to keep his cabinet together and has flat out refused to accept the resignations of some senior ministers. So far, it’s believed he has only accepted the resignations of Peter Dutton and Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. |
| Already this morning we’ve seen Peter Dutton out on the airwaves. He was on FM radio spruiking up populist policies and trying, again, to show his “nice” side. We’ll bring you more on that shortly. | Already this morning we’ve seen Peter Dutton out on the airwaves. He was on FM radio spruiking up populist policies and trying, again, to show his “nice” side. We’ll bring you more on that shortly. |
| There are moving pieces all over parliament. Darren Chester, the Nationals MP, is reportedly refusing to guarantee he would not go to the crossbench if Dutton becomes the Liberal leader. That would, of course, lose the government its majority and force an election. | There are moving pieces all over parliament. Darren Chester, the Nationals MP, is reportedly refusing to guarantee he would not go to the crossbench if Dutton becomes the Liberal leader. That would, of course, lose the government its majority and force an election. |
| At the same time, crossbench MPs Rebekha Sharkie and Cathy McGowan are refusing to say whether they would guarantee supply and confidence to a Dutton government. That would, again, force an election. The Coalition, on its current numbers, would likely be wiped out at the polls if that were to occur. | At the same time, crossbench MPs Rebekha Sharkie and Cathy McGowan are refusing to say whether they would guarantee supply and confidence to a Dutton government. That would, again, force an election. The Coalition, on its current numbers, would likely be wiped out at the polls if that were to occur. |
| So, strap yourselves in. It’s going to be a wild day. | So, strap yourselves in. It’s going to be a wild day. |