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| Turnbull demands Dutton reveal support as Morrison joins race – politics live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The first thing to say is this thing is a complete shambles. Like nothing I’ve ever seen. It’s chaos, and people are playing the echo chamber. | |
| Scott Morrison is running, and canvassing. Ben Morton is doing his numbers. People are canvassing for Julie Bishop. I know many outlets are already running that she’s a certainty, but I have not had confirmation from her that she is running. Some moderates are sceptical that she is, because she agreed (according to a couple of sources) to be Morrison’s deputy in a meeting this morning. So that’s a bit of a wildcard. But she certainly has supporters in the party room. | |
| I’m told efforts by the Dutton camp to collect signatures have stalled. Mathias Cormann has been canvassing on Dutton’s behalf, ringing around MPs – but people are refusing to sign what some are terming a suicide note. | |
| That’s an interesting point from my colleague Paul Karp, just now. Dutton’s camp have reportedly pulled the petition from circulation for the time being, in the hope that Marino would unilaterally call the meeting. She is saying no, she will not do that. | |
| Chief government whip Nola Marino’s office has just advised me that she will not be asking for a Liberal party room meeting. | |
| So the Dutton camp’s argument that there’s no technical requirement for a 43-signature petition for the whip to call a meeting seems to be a moot point. Marino won’t call a meeting, Malcolm Turnbull has laid out his conditions: he wants to see the signatures. | |
| Meanwhile on #Nauru, the country set to host the Pacific Islands Forum next month:Self-harm 'contagion' as 12-year-old refugee tries to set herself alight @GuardianAus https://t.co/Qy2Adaznn2 | |
| Terrible look. The federal government has cancelled a meeting of state ministers for women to discuss women’s safety. | |
| Natalie Hutchins, a Victorian minister, has just posted on Facebook slamming federal minister Kelly O’Dwyer for the decision. | |
| The Liberal MP Tim Wilson has described the petition for a second party room meeting, circulated by the Dutton camp, as a “suicide note” for the party. | |
| For clarity: I have not been bullied or intimidated into signing the suicide note to call a leadership spill. People have politely asked me, and I declined. The people of Australia and Goldstein have been very clear what they want, and I hear them. #LiberalAndProudOfIt | |
| That motion of no-confidence has failed in the Senate. The government avoids embarrassment. It went down 31-35. Labor and the Greens voted for it, but the rest of the crossbench largely sided with the government. | |
| Let’s recap on what’s been a truly momentous day in Australian politics. A lot’s happened in the past eight hours, and you’d be forgiven for feeling dizzy. | Let’s recap on what’s been a truly momentous day in Australian politics. A lot’s happened in the past eight hours, and you’d be forgiven for feeling dizzy. |
| What’s new: | What’s new: |
| the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is on the precipice. Conservative forces have continued to gather for a second tilt at the leadership, backing former home affairs minister, Peter Dutton. Dutton spoke with the prime minister this morning, demanding a second party room meeting. Turnbull denied him that opportunity. | the Australian prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, is on the precipice. Conservative forces have continued to gather for a second tilt at the leadership, backing former home affairs minister, Peter Dutton. Dutton spoke with the prime minister this morning, demanding a second party room meeting. Turnbull denied him that opportunity. |
| Turnbull was dealt a fatal blow when senior frontbenchers Mathias Cormann, Michaelia Cash and Mitch Fifield resigned, saying the party had lost confidence in the PM. That precipitated a string of additional frontbench resignations. | Turnbull was dealt a fatal blow when senior frontbenchers Mathias Cormann, Michaelia Cash and Mitch Fifield resigned, saying the party had lost confidence in the PM. That precipitated a string of additional frontbench resignations. |
| At the death, Turnbull showed some fight and tactical cunning in the early afternoon. He demanded the party present him with a petition signed by a majority of Liberal members (43 members), before he would call a party room meeting. At the same time, he effectively left a time bomb for Dutton by saying he would leave parliament if he was turfed as prime minister. That would trigger a byelection and expose Dutton to the risk of losing his slender one-seat majority in the lower house and forcing him to an early election. The Coalition, on current numbers, would be destroyed at the polls. | At the death, Turnbull showed some fight and tactical cunning in the early afternoon. He demanded the party present him with a petition signed by a majority of Liberal members (43 members), before he would call a party room meeting. At the same time, he effectively left a time bomb for Dutton by saying he would leave parliament if he was turfed as prime minister. That would trigger a byelection and expose Dutton to the risk of losing his slender one-seat majority in the lower house and forcing him to an early election. The Coalition, on current numbers, would be destroyed at the polls. |
| Turnbull also raised further questions about Dutton’s eligibility for parliament. There are serious question marks over Dutton because childcare companies he owns received subsidies from the Commonwealth, a potential breach of the constitution. Turnbull said legal advice on the case from the solicitor general should be given to party members before they vote on the leadership. This helps to create uncertainty among those on the fence. | Turnbull also raised further questions about Dutton’s eligibility for parliament. There are serious question marks over Dutton because childcare companies he owns received subsidies from the Commonwealth, a potential breach of the constitution. Turnbull said legal advice on the case from the solicitor general should be given to party members before they vote on the leadership. This helps to create uncertainty among those on the fence. |
| For his part, Dutton insists he has the numbers to topple Turnbull. | For his part, Dutton insists he has the numbers to topple Turnbull. |
| A party room meeting has been pencilled in for midday tomorrow, but it will only take place if Turnbull sees the petition. The added time helps to garner support for another candidate. Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop have been floated as potential candidates. | A party room meeting has been pencilled in for midday tomorrow, but it will only take place if Turnbull sees the petition. The added time helps to garner support for another candidate. Scott Morrison and Julie Bishop have been floated as potential candidates. |
| Turnbull said if the party voted for a spill, he would take it as a loss of confidence in his leadership. In such an event, he would not stand. | Turnbull said if the party voted for a spill, he would take it as a loss of confidence in his leadership. In such an event, he would not stand. |
| the chaos forced the government to abandon proceedings in the lower house today, an extraordinary step that was met with scorn and derision from just about everyone. | the chaos forced the government to abandon proceedings in the lower house today, an extraordinary step that was met with scorn and derision from just about everyone. |
| Dutton narrowly survived a push by the opposition that would have seen him referred to the high court, which would then have decided whether he was eligible for parliament or not. Dutton survived by one vote. Only the parliament has the power to refer MPs to the high court. | Dutton narrowly survived a push by the opposition that would have seen him referred to the high court, which would then have decided whether he was eligible for parliament or not. Dutton survived by one vote. Only the parliament has the power to refer MPs to the high court. |
| a motion of no confidence was moved against the government in the Senate. It prompted fiery speeches from Labor, the Greens, and the crossbench, who all slammed the Coalition’s inability to run a functioning government. | a motion of no confidence was moved against the government in the Senate. It prompted fiery speeches from Labor, the Greens, and the crossbench, who all slammed the Coalition’s inability to run a functioning government. |
| the motion followed farcical scenes in the upper house, caused by the huge number of frontbench resignations, which left the government unsure of how many ministers it had, what their responsibilities were, and who should answer questions. | the motion followed farcical scenes in the upper house, caused by the huge number of frontbench resignations, which left the government unsure of how many ministers it had, what their responsibilities were, and who should answer questions. |
| The crossbench senator Derryn Hinch remembers the good old days, when we were, you know, a stable democracy. I’m still a sprightly 30, so I must confess that I have no idea what he’s talking about. | The crossbench senator Derryn Hinch remembers the good old days, when we were, you know, a stable democracy. I’m still a sprightly 30, so I must confess that I have no idea what he’s talking about. |
| Hinch says: | Hinch says: |
| I am old enough in this place to remember the days when we used to all laugh at the Italians. We said ‘how often they change their governments, how often they changed their leaders, what a stupid country that was and how irresponsible. What a lousy case of democracy.’ | I am old enough in this place to remember the days when we used to all laugh at the Italians. We said ‘how often they change their governments, how often they changed their leaders, what a stupid country that was and how irresponsible. What a lousy case of democracy.’ |
| And now we will have tomorrow, it seems, an elected prime minister will not make it to his full term. A prime minister ... who was elected by the people and should serve his or her full term in government. And I am sorry it will not happen. | And now we will have tomorrow, it seems, an elected prime minister will not make it to his full term. A prime minister ... who was elected by the people and should serve his or her full term in government. And I am sorry it will not happen. |
| from earlier-Peter Dutton arrives in the House @knausc @murpharoo @GuardianAus #PoliticsLive https://t.co/uyRiPluF5K pic.twitter.com/4Tcc8zjJs8 | from earlier-Peter Dutton arrives in the House @knausc @murpharoo @GuardianAus #PoliticsLive https://t.co/uyRiPluF5K pic.twitter.com/4Tcc8zjJs8 |
| The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, has just delivered a powerful excoriation of the Coalition’s navel-gazing and internal turmoil. It’s sobering. | The Greens leader, Richard Di Natale, has just delivered a powerful excoriation of the Coalition’s navel-gazing and internal turmoil. It’s sobering. |
| It’s a disgrace. It’s utterly shameful. We haven’t had a stable government in this country for a decade now. I’ve got a 10-year-old boy, he’s seen half a dozen different prime ministers. We have politicians in this joint who are more concerned about themselves, about their own self-interest, than they are with governing the country. Just think, while the Liberal party has been tearing themselves apart. We’ve got 100% of NSW that’s in drought right now, we’ve got the Great Barrier Reef on the brink of collapse, we’ve got floods in India. We’ve got a 12-year-old girl who is setting herself alight in Nauru. We’ve got kids who are in a catatonic state because they’ve given up hope, locked away in those offshore hell-holes. What’s the Liberal party doing? Focusing on vengeance. On payback. | It’s a disgrace. It’s utterly shameful. We haven’t had a stable government in this country for a decade now. I’ve got a 10-year-old boy, he’s seen half a dozen different prime ministers. We have politicians in this joint who are more concerned about themselves, about their own self-interest, than they are with governing the country. Just think, while the Liberal party has been tearing themselves apart. We’ve got 100% of NSW that’s in drought right now, we’ve got the Great Barrier Reef on the brink of collapse, we’ve got floods in India. We’ve got a 12-year-old girl who is setting herself alight in Nauru. We’ve got kids who are in a catatonic state because they’ve given up hope, locked away in those offshore hell-holes. What’s the Liberal party doing? Focusing on vengeance. On payback. |
| There are 100,000 people in this country who are homeless. There are women who fear going home tonight, because one woman a week is killed at the hands of a violent partner. And what have we got? We’ve got this spectacle. This disgrace. | There are 100,000 people in this country who are homeless. There are women who fear going home tonight, because one woman a week is killed at the hands of a violent partner. And what have we got? We’ve got this spectacle. This disgrace. |
| He screams at the Coalition benches. | He screams at the Coalition benches. |
| You should be ashamed of yourselves. We have people across the country who are suffering, and look what you are doing. You are so focused on yourselves that you have forgotten what the country elected you to do, and that is to govern for them, not for you. Not for you. You don’t deserve to govern. You deserve to be turfed out. That’s what you deserve. | You should be ashamed of yourselves. We have people across the country who are suffering, and look what you are doing. You are so focused on yourselves that you have forgotten what the country elected you to do, and that is to govern for them, not for you. Not for you. You don’t deserve to govern. You deserve to be turfed out. That’s what you deserve. |
| there is a lot of emotion in Richard Di Natale's voice, he's pretty frustrated, Liberal senators have a lot of important things to deal with on the their phones | there is a lot of emotion in Richard Di Natale's voice, he's pretty frustrated, Liberal senators have a lot of important things to deal with on the their phones |
| Channel Seven is reporting that Julie Bishop, the foreign affairs minister, is standing for the leadership. Just a reminder that, in this chaotic environment, claims and counter-claims are flying thick and fast. Not to say they’re not true, but we need to treat them with care. We’re working to confirm the report and will tell you if and when we do. | Channel Seven is reporting that Julie Bishop, the foreign affairs minister, is standing for the leadership. Just a reminder that, in this chaotic environment, claims and counter-claims are flying thick and fast. Not to say they’re not true, but we need to treat them with care. We’re working to confirm the report and will tell you if and when we do. |
| BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE from @Riley7News - Julie Bishop will run for the Liberal leadership @7NewsSydney #auspol | BREAKING AND EXCLUSIVE from @Riley7News - Julie Bishop will run for the Liberal leadership @7NewsSydney #auspol |