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Government moves to dissolve parliament for the day amid leadership crisis – politics live Government shuts down parliament amid leadership crisis – politics live
(35 minutes later)
Scott Morrison, Christopher Pyne and Nola Marino have just left the prime minister’s office, our reporter Gareth Hutchens tells us.
Important movements ahead of the party room showdown. Morrison is being positioned as a challenger. Pyne is key in the Turnbull camp. Marino is the chief government whip, and is responsible for planning the meeting.
The dollar has wobbled a bit thanks to the shenanigans in Canberra. It has been holding fairly steady at US73c but dipped below that mark today to sit at US72.9c.
This tweeted chart from CommSec makes it look quite dramatic but it is worth noting that it is higher today than it was last Friday (US72.6c), despite four days of Canberra carnage.
Leadership uncertainty in Canberra is driving Aussie dollar weakness, #AUDUSD falling to 72.9 US cents Image #Bloomberg #ausbiz #fx pic.twitter.com/MFKy5tpgtW
It’s a similar story on the local stock market where it’s probably fair to say that investors are more concerned about what happens to the government in the White House.
The benchmark ASX200 is down slightly – 0.2%.
I have no evidence that Malcolm Turnbull has vacated the contest yet.
We can only know these things minute by minute, but I just want to put this out there: I have no evidence as of this moment that the prime minister has given way for either of the challengers – Dutton obviously and, putatively, Morrison.
The impression I get from moderates is Turnbull is still on the grid. I have not confirmed that Morrison is a definite starter. I know others have, but I haven’t. The treasurer clearly wants to run but as of this moment (and I stress that is all that can be known) – things are still fluid.
It’s been a whirlwind couple of days. Just to recap, these are the ministers we know have resigned so far.
finance minister, Mathias Cormann
trade minister, Steve Ciobo
health minister, Greg Hunt
jobs minister, Michaelia Cash
law enforcement minister, Angus Taylor
communications minister, Mitch Fifield
multicultural affairs minister, Alan Tudge
human services minister, Michael Keenan
assistant science minister, Zed Seselja
assistant treasurer, Michael Sukkar
assistant minister to the prime minister, James McGrath
international development minister, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells
The telling blow for Turnbull was, of course, the loss of Cormann, Cash, and Fifield, all at once. Cormann in particular takes significant numbers with him. Once those three abandoned Turnbull, they set off a chain reaction. We watched more junior ministers (Ciobo, Taylor, Tudge, Keenan) resign quite quickly afterwards.
Greens staffer Tim Beshara has pointed out that adjourning parliament is not unprecedented:
For the record, during the Simon Crean leadership attempt, Labor adjourned the House to have a leadership ballot at 4.19PM and the Libs supported the adjournment. https://t.co/uOtANas3fy
In March 2013 parliament was also adjourned when Simon Crean forced Julia Gillard to call a spill, where she was unanimously re-elected. However, the house was adjourned at 4:19pm, after Question Time so it looks like there was considerably less fuss about it because proceedings had basically finished anyway before an adjournment debate scheduled for 4:30pm.
Christopher Pyne, the manager of opposition business at the time, was quite magnanimous about it:
Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, due to the unusual circumstances of today the opposition has offered to not proceed with the adjournment debate at half past four to allow the House to adjourn so the Labor party can either choose a new leader or reaffirm their support of Prime Minister Gillard. It is a generous act by the opposition but we understand the terrible circumstances the government faces and we wish to facilitate an opportunity for them to vote on a new leader.
There you have it. The house has voted to adjourn. Parliament is done for another two weeks, at least.
They’ve won 70-68.
We only just crept past midday.
The house will now be adjourned until 10 September. Labor are yelling abuse at the government.
One Nationals MP has confirmed they’ll vote with the Liberals to adjourn parliament.
“Give the Libs time to go and sort their shit out,” the MP said.
Leader of the house Christopher Pyne talks to the manager of opposition business Tony Burke before the government moved to adjourn the house @knausc @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive pic.twitter.com/75jPvHwjDT
While we wait for this vote, let’s think about the likely candidates in the ballot. Sky News is continuing to report that Scott Morrison will put his hand up. So Morrison versus Dutton.
There was suggestion that Kelly O’Dwyer, a moderate, would run as Morrison’s deputy.
Our political editor Katharine Murphy has confirmed that O’Dwyer will not run as deputy.
Just for the record, Kelly O'Dwyer is NOT running for deputy on a Morrison ticket. If there's a ticket, Julie Bishop will run as deputy #auspol @knausc
Our reporter Gareth Hutchens has just watched Julie Bishop, Scott Morrison, and Malcolm Turnbull walk to the house for the vote.
Plibersek challenges the government to call an election.Plibersek challenges the government to call an election.
We are witnessing history being made today, because this house divided cannot stand, and given that we know that this house divided cannot stand, the only solution, the only solution, is for whoever the prime minister is right now to drive out to the Governor-General and to let the people of Australia decide. Let the people of Australia decide whether they want a government focused only on itself We are witnessing history being made today, because this house divided cannot stand, and given that we know that this house divided cannot stand, the only solution, the only solution, is for whoever the prime minister is right now to drive out to the governor-general and to let the people of Australia decide. Let the people of Australia decide whether they want a government focused only on itself
Christopher Pyne gets to his feet, looking resigned, and moves the motion to adjourn parliament regardless. A division is required.Christopher Pyne gets to his feet, looking resigned, and moves the motion to adjourn parliament regardless. A division is required.
Labor are lining up now. Labor’s deputy, Tanya Plibersek, is next.
The proposition that we would close down the parliament of Australia because they can’t organise themselves to work out who the prime minister is going to be – it’s a shock to the people of Australia, who deserve so much better.
She takes aim at the Nationals, who appear to be working out what they’re going to do. Plibersek challenges them to keep parliament going.
What are you going to do? Are you going to support the suspension of the parliament? Or do you support democracy? Do you support this parliament doing its job? Governing for all Australians?
Bill Shorten steps up to the plate.
We see a government and a Liberal party who know they need to focus on the needs of the people, but they just cannot help themselves.
He describes the government is “cannibalistic”.
I said on Tuesday that this is a government which had lost the will to live. But I don’t even think on Tuesday we could have seen the cannibalistic behaviour of a government who is eating itself alive. There is no doubt in my mind that the people of Australia think that the system is broken
This is a significant development. It means we’ll see no question time. The government is seeking to give itself time to resolve the chaos engulfing its leadership. Tony Burke continues:
For those opposite, have a think about what you have all become. Have a think about it. Have a think where you might have thought ‘if I came to parliament I would achieve x y or z’. Because now those opposite are about to vote that they would rather not have a parliament at all.
The Coalition is moving to dissolve parliament for the day. What a mess.
The manager of opposition business, Tony Burke, seizes on the news.
What is happening right now is that the government has decided that this place has fallen apart so completely that they are dissolving the parliament for the day, entirely. There will be no question time today because they don’t know who their ministers are, there will be no question time today because they don’t know who their prime minister is.”
He says no government in living memory has done this.
No government has decided ‘this is too hard, let’s go home’
Peter Dutton did not have a great record as health minister, you may remember. Doctors voted him the worst health minister in 35 years.
Some doctors remember. Former Australian Medical Association vice-president, Stephen Parnis, said he shudders at the “consequences for the vulnerable in our community” if Dutton takes power.
.@PeterDutton_MP was Federal Health Minister early in my time as AMA Vice President. If his record is repeated as Prime Minister, I shudder at the consequences for the vulnerable in our community #auspol
It’s a lonely time for Christopher Pyne, the key Turnbull backer. On Tuesday, ahead of Turnbull’s surprise ballot, he walked through parliament whistling and with a smile.
Now, this:
Christopher Pyne works his phone before the house resumed sitting this morning @knausc @murpharoo @GuardianAus #politicslive https://t.co/uyRiPluF5K pic.twitter.com/6wUec2vKwa
Steve Ciobo, the trade minister, has resigned. He was the last of the group that entered Turnbull’s office earlier to resign.
I have resigned as Minister for Trade, Tourism & Investment. Serving as Minister has been an absolute honour. We have achieved much. Regrettably, it is clear to me the Prime Minister has lost the support of the Party Room and it is critical the leadership is resolved.
Peter Dutton would actively harm the Liberal Party’s vote if made leader, according to a ReachTel poll conducted on Wednesday night.
The poll of 2,430 voters found that 55.5% would be less likely to vote for the Liberals if Dutton becomes leader, compared with 22.9% who would be more likely and 21.5% who say it wouldn’t change their vote.
In fact, a majority in all age groups and sexes would be less likely to vote Liberal. Women in particular seem to dislike Dutton - 57% would be less likely to vote Liberal. Young people aged 18-34 are most opposed (57.6%).
Malcolm Turnbull is the preferred Liberal leader with 38%, followed by Julie Bishop (29%), Tony Abbott (14%), Peter Dutton is on just 10% and Scott Morrison on 8.6%. So that’s bad news for Dutton - he’s behind his fellow conservative Abbott and good news for Bishop, who appears the best compromise candidate.
Among Liberals, Turnbull’s lead as preferred leader is even higher - he has 55% support.
The poll was commissioned by the Construction Forestry Mining Maritime Energy Union - which Dutton has frequently caricatured as being a militant union propping up Bill Shorten’s leadership.
The poll finds Labor leading the Coalition 53% to 47%.
The ship is well and truly sunk now.
Some parliamentary cleaners just came out of the ministerial wing pushing a trolley with half a dozen bags of shredded documents, and took them down the lift to the basement #auspol #Libspill
Michael Keenan, the human services minister, is the next to abandon Turnbull.
In the best interests of all Australians, it’s important that the leadership is now resolved.
With a heavy heart, I have handed my resignation to Malcolm Turnbull. It has been a great honour to serve, but it has become clear that he’s lost the support of the Liberal Party room. In the best interests of all Australians, it’s important that the leadership is now resolved.