This article is from the source 'nytimes' 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.nytimes.com/2018/08/22/world/australia/turnbull-dutton-morrison-prime-minister-challenge.html

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 5 Version 6
Malcolm Turnbull, Australian Leader, Is Dealt Death Blow as Own Party Pulls Support Rivals Challenge Malcolm Turnbull, Australia’s Leader, as Party Support Fades
(about 1 hour later)
CANBERRA, Australia — Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull of Australia lost the support of his own party on Thursday, setting up a race between at least two challengers one a conservative rival, the other a moderate ally to take the reins of leadership. CANBERRA, Australia — Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull lost the support of key members of his party on Thursday and rivals emerged to challenge his leadership, grinding the House of Representatives to a halt, throwing the government into chaos and giving the revolving door of Australian politics another push.
The governing Liberal Party’s infighting made a confused week even more chaotic. At noon on Thursday, the House of Representatives, Parliament’s lower house, voted to adjourn until Sept. 10. An hour later, Mr. Turnbull told reporters he would hold a party vote on Friday if he received a letter from lawmakers with enough signatures showing support for the challenge. Mr. Turnbull, a moderate former investment banker, has been under increased pressure to step aside since a dispute over a proposed energy plan to cut emissions resulted in a mutiny within his conservative Liberal Party earlier this week.
Calling it an “internal insurgency,” Mr. Turnbull said he would resign from Parliament if he was deposed. On Thursday, with Mr. Turnbull’s position in obvious jeopardy, two members of his cabinet said they would run in a party ballot expected to be held on Friday, and a third was also expected to do so. Such votes are held in secret and the rules are loosely defined, meaning that a dark horse candidate could yet emerge and win the leadership.
“The public hate what is going on at the moment,” he said, referring to Australia’s revolving door of leadership, which has seen five prime ministers in the past 11 years, one of whom served twice. “They want everyone here to be focused on them.” As of Thursday night, the candidates expected to run included:
Mr. Turnbull, a moderate and former investment banker, is now largely seen as too weak to survive. The questions now: Who will replace him? And when? Peter Dutton, 47, a conservative who served as home affairs minister and narrowly failed to unseat the prime minister in a party vote on Tuesday.
[Don’t miss a political story. Sign up for the Morning Briefing to get the news you need to know, Monday to Friday.] Scott Morrison, 50, Australia’s treasurer and a moderate, who pledged his loyalty to Mr. Turnbull as recently as Wednesday.
• Julie Bishop, 62, the foreign minister and the Liberal Party’s deputy leader since 2007. She had not declared her intention to run by Thursday night, but was widely reported to be a contender.
Not a single Australian prime minister has completed his or her full term in more than a decade, and the country has had five leaders in 11 years, one of whom served twice. The frequent upheavals, experts said, have left foreign allies uncertain and voters angry when elected leaders are ousted in back-room coups. And compared to previous “spills,” as they are known, this week’s contest has been especially messy and unpredictable.
“The leadership churn is unprecedented. No prime minister since John Howard, who lost office in 2007, has served a full term in office,” said Michael Fullilove, executive director of the Lowy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. “Governments seem incapable of exercising their authority. They spend most of their time in survival mode.”“The leadership churn is unprecedented. No prime minister since John Howard, who lost office in 2007, has served a full term in office,” said Michael Fullilove, executive director of the Lowy Institute, a nonpartisan think tank. “Governments seem incapable of exercising their authority. They spend most of their time in survival mode.”
The day started with three senior cabinet ministers informing Mr. Turnbull that he no longer had their support and must hold an internal ballot for prime minister, the second such party vote this week. With the government’s leadership in doubt, the House of Representatives, Parliament’s lower house, voted on Thursday to adjourn until Sept. 10. Moments later, Mr. Turnbull told reporters he would hold a party vote on Friday if he received a letter from lawmakers with enough signatures showing support for a challenge.
By late morning, Mr. Turnbull faced challenges from Peter Dutton, a conservative who served as home affairs minister under Mr. Turnbull, and Scott Morrison, the treasurer, who pledged his loyalty to Mr. Turnbull as recently as Wednesday. Australian news media reported that Julie Bishop, the foreign minister, would also enter the leadership contest, but her office would not confirm that she planned to do so. “The public hate what is going on at the moment,” Mr. Turnbull said, referring to Australia’s frequent leadership changes. “They want everyone here to be focused on them.”
By midday, the House found itself in the remarkable position of debating adjournment, abandoning debate on issues like the country’s punishing drought, to allow for the leadership fight to play out. [Don’t miss a political story. Sign up for the Morning Briefing to get the news you need to know, Monday to Friday.]
The opposition Labor Party pounced. Calling it an “internal insurgency,” Mr. Turnbull suggested he would resign from Parliament if he was deposed. If he follows through, his vacant seat will be contested in a by-election that could threaten the Liberal Party’s majority in Parliament.
Thursday started with three senior cabinet ministers informing Mr. Turnbull that he no longer had their support and must hold an internal ballot for prime minister. Over the course of the day, Mr. Dutton and Mr. Morrison declared their intention to run.
The day’s chaos, and the Liberals’ decision to adjourn debate in the House on issues including the country’s punishing drought, gave the opposition Labor Party a chance to pounce.
“The Liberal Party today has no interest in anyone but themselves,” said Tony Burke, a Labor lawmaker, as the adjournment motion was being debated. “They have completely fallen apart, collapsed.”“The Liberal Party today has no interest in anyone but themselves,” said Tony Burke, a Labor lawmaker, as the adjournment motion was being debated. “They have completely fallen apart, collapsed.”
“What a legacy,” another lawmaker shouted on the floor of the House.“What a legacy,” another lawmaker shouted on the floor of the House.
[Read more:Does addressing climate change equal political suicide in Australia?] [Read more: Does addressing climate change equal political suicide in Australia?]
For Mr. Dutton, 47, the conservative former police officer who mounted a first challenge after a dispute over a modest proposal to cut emissions, the day began with conflict. Under gray clouds at an 8 a.m. news conference, Mr. Dutton announced a second challenge. Australians joke that leadership challenges are a national sport, and gambling websites were giving odds and accepting bets. As each candidate entered the field, the odds on bookmaking sites fluctuated.
A handful of ministers resigned soon after and withdrew their support from Mr. Turnbull, including a key power broker, Mathias Cormann, the finance minister and a senior figure in the Turnbull cabinet. But the chances of success for Mr. Dutton, a former police officer, whose rise had seemed inevitable Wednesday night, seemed to weaken throughout Thursday.
Mr. Cormann made clear before lunchtime that the leadership would need to change. “We’ve made a judgment that in our view there is a majority support in the party room for change,” he said. Early in the day, he tried to tamp down questions about his family’s ownership of two child-care centers, which had received government subsidies a potential violation of Australia’s Constitution.
It was then that Mr. Morrison said he, too, would be a candidate to be the Liberal Party’s leader. Under Section 44 of the Constitution, “any direct or indirect pecuniary interest with the Public Service of the Commonwealth” disqualifies a person from sitting in Parliament.
That has set up the current standoff between the Liberal Party’s moderate and conservative wings, and a scramble for support. Outside the prime minister’s chambers, reporters gathered to see who went in and who came out, tracking the length of their discussions and demeanor.
The chances of success for Mr. Dutton, whose rise had seemed inevitable Wednesday night, seemed to weaken with every hour.
Earlier in the day, he tried to tamp down questions about his family’s ownership of two child-care centers, which had received government subsidies — a potential violation of the Constitution.
Under Section 44 of the Constitution, “any direct or indirect pecuniary interest with the Public Service of the Commonwealth” makes a person disqualified from sitting in Parliament.
Mr. Dutton called the allegations, first reported by Ten Daily, “spurious and baseless” and said he had not breached the Constitution, but the case added a cloud of doubt to his candidacy.Mr. Dutton called the allegations, first reported by Ten Daily, “spurious and baseless” and said he had not breached the Constitution, but the case added a cloud of doubt to his candidacy.
Mr. Turnbull said he would wait to call for a party vote in order for the legality of Mr. Dutton’s position in Parliament to be resolved. Questions about Mr. Dutton’s eligibility gave Mr. Turnbull additional ammunition to delay the vote.
“This issue of eligibility is critically important,” he said. “You can imagine the consequences of having a prime minister whose actions and decisions are questionable because of the issues of eligibility.” “This issue of eligibility is critically important,” Mr. Turnbull said, arguing that any vote should take place only after the legality of Mr. Dutton’s situation had been resolved. “You can imagine the consequences of having a prime minister whose actions and decisions are questionable because of the issues of eligibility.”
Experts said the move to delay could help Mr. Morrison rally support. Experts said a postponement of the vote could potentially help Mr. Morrison and Ms. Bishop rally support.
“Peter Dutton is so far on the right within the Liberal Party that there will be conservatives who would not relish voting for him,” said Jill Sheppard, a lecturer at the Australian National University. “For these people, Scott Morrison presents an acceptable alternative. He has conservative credentials but he’s much closer to the center.” “Peter Dutton is so far on the right within the Liberal Party that there will be conservatives who would not relish voting for him,” said Jill Sheppard, a lecturer in politics at the Australian National University.
Mr. Morrison, 50, has long played in the middle of Australian politics. Representing Cook, in New South Wales, he presented himself as a moderate in his first speech to Parliament in 2007, and while he has most recently served as treasurer, he has played a variety of roles in government.
Experts said he had the capacity to rally support from both moderates and conservatives, but it was not clear if he would succeed for one reason: He is close to Mr. Turnbull and may not represent enough of a change.