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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2018/aug/24/liberal-spill-malcolm-turnbull-peter-dutton-scott-morrison-liberal-spill-politics-parliament-live
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| Turnbull attacks 'wreckers' Abbott and Dutton as he leaves office – politics live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Liberal MPs are starting to depart parliament. | |
| Warren Entsch, a Queensland MP, tells reporters it would now be “insane” for the conservatives to agitate against the Morrison and Frydenberg leadership team. | |
| We have got two leaders that have come in, leader and deputy, that have clean hands. They’ve got no political blood on their hands. They have been loyal, they have been committed, they have been outstanding performers and they have showed leadership. So I say it’s a great day for us, and I think we can move forward from there. | |
| A bit more detail on what the Nationals want from prime minister designate Scott Morrison: | |
| The regional development and local government portfolio back | |
| A new agricultural visa (I’ll try to get more detail on this but the point, I assume, is that it’s hard to attract workers to pick fruit) | |
| Money for dams | |
| Nationals lost the regional development and local government portfolio in the December reshuffle when John McVeigh, a regional Liberal from Queensland, got the portfolio. | |
| Just to wrap up that final press conference from Turnbull: | |
| Turnbull hit out at the “insurgency” that tore down his prime ministership. He described it as a “madness” and named Peter Dutton and Tony Abbott as the instigators. Turnbull also hit out at “powerful media voices”. He said Australians were “dumbstruck” and “appalled”. | |
| He acknowledged that climate and energy was a problem for his party, and that much of it was ideological. | |
| Turnbull spoke of the difficulties of keeping the broad church of the Liberal party happy. But he said he learned it was crucial, and a lesson he learned from his previous time at the helm of the Liberal party. | |
| He listed among his achievements: same-sex marriage, economic growth, Snowy Hydro 2.0, tax reform, defence investment, the redress scheme for child sex abuse, the US refugee resettlement deal, and the cities deal. | |
| Turnbull will quit parliament. When? It’s not so clear, but it will be soon, he promises. | |
| He praised Scott Morrison for his loyalty, and thanked Christopher Pyne, and Marise Payne. | |
| Turnbull signs off #auspol pic.twitter.com/KF3g4qMcSy | |
| Turnbull finishes with this: | |
| I wish you all the best. Above all, I wish the new prime minister elect the very best and his team. Thank you. | |
| He receives applause from the gathered colleagues and staffers who are in the prime minister’s courtyard for this moment. | |
| Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed he will quit parliament “before too long”. | |
| Any regrets, Malcolm? | |
| We have run a very good government in the sense that we – the cabinet – hasn’t leaked very much, despite your best efforts to cause it to do so. We’ve been united. We’ve had a thoroughly traditional approach so that’s been good. | |
| Now his wife, Lucy, and his grandson Jack arrive by his side. | |
| He’s asked what Australians would think of the past week. | |
| Australians will be just be dumbstruck and so appalled by the conduct of the last week. You know, to imagine that a government would be rocked by this sort of disloyalty and deliberate insurgency, is the best way to describe it, deliberate destructive action. | |
| Turnbull speaks of the difficulty of trying to maintain a broad church in the Liberal party, trying to keep the conservatives and moderates happy. | |
| That has meant that from time to time I have had to compromise and make concessions. It’s something I learnt from my first time as leader that you have to work so hard to keep the show together. That’s the bottom line. | |
| Now, we’re getting into the other bit. He’s blasting his internal opponents. | |
| Turnbull again describes it as a “madness” and talks about the “powerful media voices” who were behind it. | |
| There was a determined insurgency from a number of people both in the party room and backed by voices, powerful voices, in the media. | |
| It was extraordinary. It was described as madness by many, and I think it’s difficult to describe it in any other way. | |
| He gives us an insight into the party room meeting today. | |
| In the party room meeting today I was impressed by how many of my colleagues spoke or voted for loyalty above disloyalty | |
| The consultancy Capital Economics has also weighed in on the question of how this week’s shenanigans will affect the economy. In a research note today, it wonders whether the chances of a Labor government – which it says is seen as less helpful to businesses – are now more likely. | |
| Labor’s plans to raise government spending, cut taxes for lower income households and raise taxes for higher income households would boost growth, it says. But it is also possible that “Labor’s proposed rises in some taxes would restrain economic growth by a disproportionately large amount”. The net result would be that the RBA would be less likely to increase rates under a Labor administration. | |
| Meanwhile, the ASX200 has perked up in the wake of Morrison’s victory, rising 0.3% on the day to 6,620 points. | |
| Turnbull thanks his family, and says they have been the subject of unwanted media attention, at times. | |
| I want to thing all my colleagues. I want to thank my staff but above all I want to thank my wife Lucy for her love and support. I want to thank our children, Alex and his wife Yvonne and our daughter Daisy and her husband James. It isn’t easy being either married to or the child of a politician let alone a prime minister. | |
| Turnbull continuing to talk on his legacy. He talks about the refugee resettlement agreement with the United States, and singles out a key backer, Christopher Pyne, for praise for leading a program of investments in the Australian defence force. | |
| I think it has been a challenging time to be prime minister but I’m very proud of our record. I’m very proud of my government and my ministers’ record in achievement. I want to thank them. I want to thank all my colleagues. | |
| Malcolm Turnbull is reflecting on his government’s achievements. He makes a point of listing the achievements of “a progressive Liberal Coalition government”. | Malcolm Turnbull is reflecting on his government’s achievements. He makes a point of listing the achievements of “a progressive Liberal Coalition government”. |
| It may surprise you on a day like this but I remain very optimistic and positive about our nation’s future, and I want to thank the Australian people for the support they’ve given me and my government over the last nearly three years. We’ve been able to achieve as a progressive government, as a progressive Liberal Coalition government, enormous reforms and very, very substantial achievements. | |
| The achievements he’s listed so far: | The achievements he’s listed so far: |
| Snowy Hydro 2.0 | Snowy Hydro 2.0 |
| the railway from Melbourne to Tullamarine | the railway from Melbourne to Tullamarine |
| strong economic growth | strong economic growth |
| taxation reform | taxation reform |
| the legalisation of same-sex marriage | the legalisation of same-sex marriage |
| the western Sydney airport project | the western Sydney airport project |
| Turnbull: I remain optimistic about the future of the nation. He’s listing his government’s achievements during his time as PM #auspol pic.twitter.com/ZxVSg1GMXj | Turnbull: I remain optimistic about the future of the nation. He’s listing his government’s achievements during his time as PM #auspol pic.twitter.com/ZxVSg1GMXj |
| We’re waiting on Turnbull’s final press conference. It’s imminent. | We’re waiting on Turnbull’s final press conference. It’s imminent. |
| Will he go out all guns blazing against the conservatives and other “outside” forces, as he did on Thursday? Or will this be more reflective in tone? The latter, you’d expect. | Will he go out all guns blazing against the conservatives and other “outside” forces, as he did on Thursday? Or will this be more reflective in tone? The latter, you’d expect. |
| Standing by for Malcolm Turnbull’s last press conference as Prime Minister. #auspol pic.twitter.com/z0hGvW85nE | Standing by for Malcolm Turnbull’s last press conference as Prime Minister. #auspol pic.twitter.com/z0hGvW85nE |
| First the dollar rebounds and now Australia’s coveted AAA rating is safe after Scott Morrison’s elevation to the Liberal leadership. | First the dollar rebounds and now Australia’s coveted AAA rating is safe after Scott Morrison’s elevation to the Liberal leadership. |
| The credit rating agency Moody’s has said that the leadership changes “have no implications for Australia’s sovereign credit profile” because it assumes Morrison will stick with existing policy settings. The significance is that if the agency – along with S&P and Fitch – had sniffed any instability they might have considered stripping Australia of its top rating, making it more expensive for the treasurer (whoever that is now) to borrow money. | The credit rating agency Moody’s has said that the leadership changes “have no implications for Australia’s sovereign credit profile” because it assumes Morrison will stick with existing policy settings. The significance is that if the agency – along with S&P and Fitch – had sniffed any instability they might have considered stripping Australia of its top rating, making it more expensive for the treasurer (whoever that is now) to borrow money. |
| However, Moody’s does issue a warning that The Lodge’s revolving door has caused some unease: | However, Moody’s does issue a warning that The Lodge’s revolving door has caused some unease: |
| Australia’s AAA rating is supported by the country’s very high level of economic strength and moderate level of government debt. Our assessment of Australia’s institutional strength takes into account a greater degree of fragmentation in broad political representation at the level of the commonwealth over recent years which, at times, constrains the capacity of successive governments to pursue policy changes. | Australia’s AAA rating is supported by the country’s very high level of economic strength and moderate level of government debt. Our assessment of Australia’s institutional strength takes into account a greater degree of fragmentation in broad political representation at the level of the commonwealth over recent years which, at times, constrains the capacity of successive governments to pursue policy changes. |
| Our photographer, Mike Bowers, was in the thick of it earlier, snapping away either side of that momentous party room meeting. | Our photographer, Mike Bowers, was in the thick of it earlier, snapping away either side of that momentous party room meeting. |
| Malcolm Turnbull will address the media for a final time as prime minister at 2pm. | Malcolm Turnbull will address the media for a final time as prime minister at 2pm. |