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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Amy Remeikis

More ministers offer to resign in wake of failed challenge to Turnbull – as it happened

That seems to be it for the resignations at this point.

The House and Senate have both adjourned. Not that anyone was paying attention.

There has been no word from Malcolm Turnbull’s office on whose resignations he has officially accepted, other than Peter Dutton, while it also looks like Connie Fierravanti-Wells was accepted, given she made sure to burn every single bridge down on her way out.

So we end the day with no better idea of what is happening than when we started it. Peter Dutton is not giving up, Tony Abbott has had best day ever and Turnbull has been left wondering where he went wrong for about the millionth time in his political career (one would suggest giving in to every single demand from the moment he took back the leadership, but that would be cruel, given where we are.)

And the voters are the real losers here, given we have an entire generation of voters who are yet to see a prime minister go full term since they were able to step up to the ballot box.

We will be back early tomorrow morning - but you’ll be without me, as I am off on a long-planned holiday. I had joked that I would probably be leaving in the midst of a leadership challenge or an election, so I apologise for inadvertently allowing my karma to come and smack us all around the head.

You will be in the very capable hands of Chris Knaus for the rest of the week and Mike Bowers is on deck to make sure that all goes smoothly. Katharine Murphy, who is still at her desk, her ear having all but fallen off from how much time she has spent working the phones for you today, will be back, as will Paul Karp and Gareth Hutchens who make sure we have eyes and ears everywhere. They and the rest of the Guardian’s brains trust are what keep this little engine ticking.

A massive thank you to everyone for their amazing efforts today, but in particular, as always, to you for keeping us company as we followed this to the end. I will be back when parliament resumes next month, but in the meantime - take care of you.

On the issue of whether Cathy McGowan and Rebekha Sharkie would continue to give confidence and supply to the government, if Peter Dutton becomes the leader, they are examining their options. It is not much of limb to go out on to suggest that Adam Bandt would probably rather stab himself in the hand with a fork rather than give supply to a Dutton-led government.

Michael Keenan has deleted the tweet which included his statement of support for the prime minister, but it was officially distributed to the press gallery.

It is still his position. The tweet was just deleted. Nothing has changed.

For what it is worth, which is probably not a lot, given how quickly this is all moving, at this stage any talk about another challenge is being talked about in terms of weeks, not days.

Which means, at this stage, a second tilt in September. The thinking is that gives Peter Dutton and his peeps time to get stuff in order over the non sitting weeks, and come back ready to fight, and fight properly, when parliament resumes on September 10.

But who the hell actually knows. They could walk in here tomorrow and decide to pull the trigger. Or not.

Julie Bishop is examining all her options, if Peter Dutton becomes leader, including quitting the front bench.

Not parliament.

This appears to be the formulation of words being used when a resignation is offered and not accepted.

It doesn’t answer anything.

The South Australian senator is in Malcolm Turnbull’s camp

While we are all talking about who has resigned and who may resign, and who could sit on the crossbench and who could quit (it has been floating around all day there are some moderate liberals who have threatened to quit and spark byelections if Peter Dutton becomes leader) it might be worth noting that the Liberal party has not come anywhere close to finishing its preselections.

Labor still has some fights in the Senate, but is mostly done and dusted and is far enough along in the process that it could make some hasty decisions if needed.

But the internals of the Liberal party in quite a few states have delayed preselections, including in NSW, where the moderates are looking to push out Craig Kelly.

If a trip to Government House is forced, or decided, the Liberals go into this without one of their their biggest donors - Malcolm Turnbull, who apparently couldn’t keep his colleagues onside despite donating nearly $2 million to the party’s election effort just over two years ago, and without their house in order.

Sounds like an absolute blast.

This has been floating around a bit today, so may as well stick it in the blog - given he is now the man who wants to smile again, and have a drink, and fly all the refugees on Nauru and Manus Island on a charter plane back to Australia.

How long until we see the soft focus pictures of him playing with his children?

Julie Bishop appeared on 7.30 to continue the line - unite, party room has spoken, strong plan

On Peter Dutton, she cited Ben Smee’s profile on the Dickson MP, where he said he wanted to be prime minister one day.

Peter Dutton made it clear in April that he wanted to be prime minister. I think that was a signal to colleagues that he wants the job. I’ve got a job. I’m getting on with my job of delivering good government for the people of Australia, and supporting the Turnbull government in doing that. Leigh, people want to hear about how they’re going to get and keep a job, housing affordability, downward pressure on costs - that’s what they want to hear us talk about, so that’s what I’m focused on.”

Updated

Michael Keenan’s office has confirmed to Paul Karp he has not offered his resignation.

Steve Ciobo is expected to offer his resignation to Malcolm Turnbull.

Four hours ago, Connie Fierravanti-Wells was in the Senate saying she retains full confidence in the prime minister.

We are at the stage where frontbenchers staffers are having to check if their bosses have resigned or not, because they don’t know. Like literally, don’t know.

Nope - looks like it was just those two lines.

So, no confirmation on Michael Keenan’s status - but it doesn’t look like he has resigned.

Updated

We are also trying to work out if Michael Keenan managed to cut off his statement on his Twitter feed and has actually offered his resignation.

There are reports Steve Ciobo has offered become the latest to his resignation.

Michael Keenan has released a statement saying the PM has his full support. That’s it.

He makes no mention of resigning, despite having voted for Peter Dutton.

So, if Darren Chester and his group are willing to pull the trigger on that threat, then Peter Dutton could win the Liberal party numbers, but not the government - he would not have the numbers in the House.

Which would mean - immediate election, basically.

Andrew Probyn is telling ABC viewers Darren Chester and at least three other Nationals are willing to sit on the crossbench if Peter Dutton becomes Liberal leader - because they don’t believe Dutton has a hope in hell of winning the southern states.

Dutton’s chances in Victoria in particular have been a massive concern the last couple of days.

“History would indicate that usually there is,” Eric Abetz tells Andrew Bolt on whether or not there will be another leadership challenge.

“I was not behind Tony Abbott because he was Tony Abbott or b is Peter Dutton - it is the suite of policies they sought to deliver.”

Eric Abetz, who voted for Peter Dutton, wants small business back in the cabinet as a portfolio and the Catholic schools funding issue sorted.

He swears SWEARS this is not about personality, but policy.

Which might carry more weight if Malcolm Turnbull hadn’t already given Abetz and his cohort everything they wanted on policy already.

Just to be clear, the only resignation the prime minister has accepted is Peter Dutton.

The others -

Angus Taylor, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, James McGrath and Zed Seslja have been offered -but not yet accepted.

A spokesman for Greg Hunt said the health minister is not resigning.

Angus Taylor looks to be the next cab off the resignation rank

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells has confirmed her resignation - she cites the marriage equality debate as one of the reasons why

It is with great regret that this evening I have tendered my resignation as Minister for International Development and the Pacific.”

Never tweet?

(Thanks to former Guardian Australia super star Daniel Hurst for the reminder)

The other resignations being offered are reportedly, according to Chris Kenny on Sky, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells and Zed Sesjela

This is the death by a thousand cuts stage.

Peta Credlin on Malcolm Turnbull:

“His death warrant has been signed and the scaffolding is being built.”

From the Peter Dutton supporter camp you have frontbenchers Angus Taylor, Alan Tudge, Greg Hunt, Steve Ciobo, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, Michael Keenan and Zed Seselja (I am including junior frontbenchers)


There are meant to be more coming - at least two, possibly three.

Predictions on who would be next?

Updated

And he put it on Facebook:

James McGrath has confirmed to me that he has offered his resignation.

James McGrath offers resignation from front bench

This would be the third - he was the assistant minister to the prime minister.

McGrath is also very instrumental in Queensland politics.

Updated

Fairfax has published a list of who voted where - which you can find here

Revisiting the GQ profile of Malcolm Turnbull in 2013, he talks about losing the leadership in 2009:

GQ: Let’s discuss the spill of ’09, which came after 14 months as leader. How did that feel?

Malcolm Turnbull: It’s a big downer and hits you very, very hard. Experiences like that can break you or make you. I was so emotionally wrung-out by the end of 2009 anyway, that losing the leadership took six to eight weeks to sink in.

GQ: Were you bitter?

Malcolm Turnbull: No, I’m not a bitter person, I’m not a hater. I rarely do [feel hate] but if I do I work on driving it out of myself. I don’t want you to think I’m a hippie – all ‘peace man’. But I think hatred damages the hater much more than the hated. Anyway, I was very, very, very down in the dumps.

GQ: Did you shed any tears?

Malcolm Turnbull: No, I didn’t cry — I thought I’d just get out of politics. I was overwhelmed by so many people who were anxious for me to stay and that buoyed me. And I’m glad I resolved to stay. I’m a much wiser and stronger person for it but I tell you, those political setbacks destroy a lot of people, they become riven by bitterness, hatred, negativity and it eats away at them. That’s not been the case for me, I don’t hate or resent or feel bitter towards any of the people — not Tony Abbott or any of the people instrumental in me losing the leadership. And there were people who acted with extraordinary treachery. Take [current shadow finance minister] Andrew Robb — he boasts of ambushing me deliberately. But I have a good working relationship with Andrew. I don’t hold it against him.

GQ: So, are you resigned to never again leading the Libs?

Malcolm Turnbull: Depends what you mean by resigned. The proposition that I won’t lead the Liberal Party again does not cause me to lose any sleep. I resolved, when I decided to stay in parliament, that I would do everything I could to give Tony a loyalty and a consistency that not all my colleagues gave me. I’ve done that. If Tony is unsuccessful — and I don’t think he will be — no one will be able to say Malcolm Turnbull was anything other than supportive. And that’s imperative because I know what it’s like to be undermined as a leader.

Warren Entsch on what it would take for Malcolm Turnbull to satisfy Tony Abbott:

(short answer - nothing)

It is easy for Tony Abbott to make those criticisms but a lot of that was to try and accommodate Tony’s views. Maybe the Prime Minister, if there is criticism, maybe he is too accommodating and he needs to standup and say no. And, quite frankly, this has gone past the point of arguing on policy. This is all about personality. I don’t think there is anything that Malcolm can do in a policy sense that will ever satisfy the former Prime Minister and I think that is disappointing.

“I just hope in the future if there is going to be sniping, please go into a room, shut the door and have a discussion,” Warren Entsch says.

“Do not have a running commentary.”

Warren Entsch is speaking to the ABC about why he took on Tony Abbott in the party room today:

I did not want to say anything but however the former leader stood up and quoted the Prime Minister on something in making a criticism and I thought, well, maybe it is appropriate to start the quote from back in 2015. So I made the point there. When talk about there will not be any... There will not be any sniping, no undermining, no wrecking. This is exactly what is happening at the moment. I just made that point. Somebody as experienced as who he is needs to understand that personal dislike of somebody needs to be taken away and hidden and we need to start focusing on the best interest of the country.”

Mehreen Faruqi is delivering her first speech to the Senate.

From her speech:

The reality is that my presence in the Senate is an affront for some. They are offended that people of colour and Muslims, have the audacity to not only exist, but to open our mouths and join the public debate. Some politicians call us cockroaches. Some say we are a disease for which Australia needs vaccination. Some, if they had their way, would ban us from making Australia our home. So it is with great pride I stand here before you unapologetically - a brown, Muslim, migrant, feminist woman. And I say unapologetically because if there is one thing people with stories like mine are asked to do constantly, it is apologise for our presence because we are not quiet enough, not respectful enough, not thankful enough, not Australian enough – for some, we will never be Australian enough.

The existence of racism, sexism and other discrimination is not new. But what has changed is its legitimisation, normalisation and encouragement in the media and politics. Political leaders, in addition to their old habit of racist dog-whistling, are now comfortable outright fanning the flames of racial conflict.

You can’t condemn racism and then use dog-whistling and race-baiting as an electoral tactic.

We might shake our heads when migrants are said to have the amazing ability to simultaneously sit on welfare our whole lives and also take up all the jobs that ‘true’ Aussies are entitled to, but far too little attention is paid to the implications this political racism has for our lives, our mental health, and our families. We cannot be expected to ignore sustained abuse or be told to hide the fear and gut-wrenching pain that it causes. If we receive death threats and speak out about it, as my son did earlier this month, we are told we have a victim mentality and this is all part and parcel of public life. Well, we will not be silenced.

Instead of being accepted, because this is our home, we are asked to apologise for every action of someone who looks like us. We are subject to rules that white people never will be. We don’t have the luxury of mistakes or of slipping up, because as soon as we do, we become a case study to validate existing stereotypes. We don’t have the luxury of individuality, because we are considered a monolithic mass who operate as one. Even our responses to racism are policed.

Michael Sukkar has offered his resignation.

Malcolm Turnbull is reportedly considering it.

Just a reminder that a rush of resignations usually marks the second challenge.

James Campbell from the Herald Sun has reported Michael Sukkar offered his resignation to Malcolm Turnbull after QT:

There will be more.

The 'real' Peter Dutton makes his pitch

“Yes, I did take a tough approach in relation to different decisions that I had to make,” Peter Dutton says.

“But I didn’t do that as a puppet for somebody else or because I have a weak character or personality – I am not directed by anyone else. I want to do what is in the best interest of our country.

“I think in the immigration portfolio, you are defined by Nauru and Manus. Now, I didn’t put any people on Nauru and Manus, I got people off. I would love to get everybody off there tomorrow. If I could have brought them to Australia in a charter flight overnight I would have. But I would have seen people drown at sea, which would have been tragic obviously.

“So yes, I do think people do define you and in the modern age, people seem to grab either on social media or a meme somewhere, or they see you quickly on the news of a night-time, I think the opportunity for me, as a backbencher now, is to talk to people about a lot of things – I think I have a self-deprecating sense of humour, you know, I like a drink like anyone else, it’s an opportunity for me, I think now, to talk a bit more the other side the public may not have know – I am proud of my success and I don’t regret anything I did in securing our borders and making sure that we got kids out of detention, closing those detention centres, the work with Asio and with the federal police, all of that is crucial to the security of our country and I think I have established my bona fides in that regard.

“When I was health minister, you know, health spending went up by 14 %, hospital funding went up by almost a couple of billion dollars.

“So for me, I can talk about who I know that I am. Some people may not have seen that side. In the end, I think that is the opportunity for me now.”

Updated

“No sniping, no undermining and I can relax a little bit, which is good,” says the real Peter Dutton.

“For me, I can talk about who I know that I am, some people might not have seen ... for me I can do that now,” Peter Dutton says.

He really wants you to know that it is “pretty hard to crack a smile” when you are talking about serious issues.

Like, really wants you to know.

He wants to “talk more about” his normal side, which includes going to sporting games and being a knockabout bloke.

Updated

“I think in the immigration portfolio you are defined by Nauru and Manus ... I would have loved to get everyone off there tomorrow ... if I could have brought everyone to Australia on a charter flight, I would have,” Peter Dutton says.

He has a self-deprecating sense of humour and likes a drink like everyone else, he adds.

Updated

On Tony Abbott:

I don’t think it is any surprise to talk about the animosity between Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott...there issues are between them and nothing to do with me.

I had a very good and frank conversation with the prime minister today ... but it was not an acrimonious one. Others can run their own races.

He says that he believes having a portfolio like home affairs means that some people might think he doesn’t smile enough, or have a laugh or show personality.

It’s the REAL Peter Dutton, ladies and gentlemen.

I lost the ballot today, I respect the outcome of the ballot ... I want to support the prime minister, I want to support the policies.

He thinks he can do a lot for his marginal seat colleagues.

Updated

“There are these headline issues I think are important to people, important to the economy, important to families and important to business,” Peter Dutton says.

He again says he will have something to say on those issues at a later time.

He is not going to go through policy by policy – that after the Paris question.

“I have something to say on energy, at some point I will,” he says.

Updated

Peter Dutton says he believes the party needs a more succinct message and that the energy policy debate is “difficult”.

From my perspective - concentrating on the issues which are important, cutting electricity prices, making sure we can address the issues of migration ... aged care, there are other areas where I think we can do more work in.

On energy – if it is going to save the butcher in his electorate money through bringing his power bill down, then yes, he supports it.

Updated

Peter Dutton keeps adding the caveat “today” to his answers.

The party room made a decision today.

He supports the prime minister today.

He supports the government agenda today.

“For me, we need to make sure that we are listening to what the Australian public are saying,” he says.

Cathy McGowan has issued this statement:

Federal Independent Member for Indi Cathy McGowan says today’s Liberal leadership vote has had a destabilising impact on the federal parliament and the country.

“Good government is very important. This destabilisation is not good government. My electorate is concerned as evidenced by those constituents who have been in touch to make comment,” Ms McGowan said.

“I have been able to get valuable work done with this government. Indi has had confirmation of $235 million for the North East rail line. Other infrastructure and community grants have supported regional and rural centres in my electorate, including the provision of 38 mobile phone towers.

“There is more work to be completed. At a national level, regional policy, including the provision of a regional deal for Indi, is one of the most important areas I am focused on.

“As a member of the Joint Select Committee into Constitutional Recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, I have been listening to submissions from communities around the country as we compile our final report for release in late November.

“A regional higher education strategy and seeing through the North East rail line revitalisation project remain my priorities. The worthwhile work that has been already done on community energy throughout Indi will continue.”

This is an issue, because when the government was unsure of whether there would be a majority, she gave supply. When the government was having section 44 issues, McGowan also said she would continue to give supply – basically to keep them in place to govern.

Would she do the same thing, if Peter Dutton was the prime minister, is the reason this is an issue.

Updated

Asked about the ballot, Peter Dutton says he will abide by the decision “today”.

He does not rule out another challenge.

“I am not anyone’s person, I am not a puppet for anyone, I think people know that I have the strength to be my person.

“ ... I had my go today, that’s it, I listen to the judgment of the party room.”

He says he won’t be the proxy to carry out anyone else’s agenda.

Updated

Peter Dutton is being interviewed on Sky with the photos of his children behind him.

Here’s Malcolm Turnbull fighting for his political life.

Look at his backbench. A picture that says it all.

The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, during question time
The Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, during question time Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Craig Laundy is on Sky, defending Malcolm Turnbull as a “cabinet prime minister” in that he has allowed the ministers to run their own portfolios.

The result of the “ballot” Tony Smith says (that’s a joke, because it’s a division, not a leadership ballot) was 67 to 76.

Updated

Tony Abbott chose to sit next to Luke Howarth, in front of Peter Dutton and Barnaby Joyce, with Kevin Andrews rounding out the group.

Malcolm Turnbull is next to McCormack and Pyne and his foot has not stopped waggling.

Michael McCormack just made a joke of fixing his tie when he saw the cameras were angled in his direction.

He was the only government MP with a smile on his face.

Peter Dutton decides to take a seat next to Barnaby Joyce.

“Look at them all back over there,” Jenny Macklin yells from the government side of the chamber.

Adam Bandt and Andrew Wilkie are supporting the suspension of standing orders.

Rebekha Sharkie and Cathy McGowan are not supporting the suspension – they are sitting with the government.

Bob Katter is not here.

Updated

A division has been called, and the chambers swap sides.

Updated

Christopher Pyne just became the first government member to defend the prime minister, by actually mentioning him:

“This house, this government has confidence in the prime minister.”

Updated

Less than 30 minutes later, Terri Butler was booted

Terri Butler takes her seat on the opposition front bench with Clare O’Neil and Madeleine King before question time in the house of representatives
Terri Butler takes her seat on the opposition frontbench with Clare O’Neil and Madeleine King before question time in the House of Representatives. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

Anthony Albanese:

There were two words missing from the speeches of those opposing this motion of no-confidence in this prime minister. What were those two words? Prime minister. Not one of the speakers has defended Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership. These speeches today are typical of what has characterised this government. Or should I say, this opposition in exile. Because what they have done is turn the Coalition into the no-coalition.

Updated

Those in the gallery who have been doing this much longer than I have pointed out the lack of energy in this debate, compared to when the Gillard government was fighting for its life.

They are right. It is quite flat and depressing in the chamber. No one is giving any oompf to this.

They are lying down and admitting defeat.

Scott Morrison is the next up on the blocks:

They are very cocky. It was the leader of the opposition who said ‘just leave the keys to The Lodge there in the door’. That is what he said. And, as they would have heard those words from the leader of the opposition, I think a chill would have gone through Australians. A chill. For two very important reasons. Australians do not trust a potential Bill Shorten government to run a stronger economy or to keep Australian safe. They know that they will not be safe under a Bill Shorten-led government. They know their jobs, their wages, the fiscal strength of this government, the Triple-A credit rating, the future they hope for, will not be safe under a potential Bill Shorten government. But they can trust the Turnbull government. They can trust the Turnbull government, they can trust the Liberal and National parties because our plan for a stronger economy is working, and our plan for a safest raster and it is working.

Updated

Chris Bowen finishes with what I think is an Oliver Cromwell reference:

You have sat too long for any good you have done. The time has come for you to depart.

Updated

Chris Bowen:

There was a sigh of relief when the member for Wentworth became the Prime Minister of Australia, and the last few years there have been groans of disappointment.

Australians have expressed the view of the 35 colleagues today, he is simply not up to the task. Our Prime Minister without principle and without power.He has betrayed every principle he’s ever had. Yesterday he gave away his power. He said any Liberal or National Party MP who crosses the floor will mean the government cannot implement policy. He vacated policy leadership to the climate change denier is in the extreme right wing of his party. How did they think in? With the midnight knock at the door.

Labor has asked finance minister Mathias Cormann about Peter Dutton’s comment that he put his hand up for the leadership because he thought he was best to lead the Liberal party.

Cormann said:

”I disagree with my good friend Peter Dutton. I support prime minister Turnbull, I’ve supported him loyally since he was elected leader in September 2015 and I will support him loyally as his representative in this chamber until the next election and - subject to the will of the Australian people - hopefully beyond.”

Cormann said the prime minister looks forward to Dutton contributing to the government’s future success (as the member for Dickson, on the backbench).

Updated

Julie Bishop is the latest up on this.

We are fighting for the people of Australia because we have an economic plan to grow our economy and ensure there are more jobs and more job opportunities. We are the party that backs the small businesses, the mums and dads who take a risk, who start a business, who grow our business and export their goods and services around the world. These are the people that the Coalition government want to drive our economic growth and create jobs the Australian people. That’s why the Turnbull government is backing small business, medium-sized business group tax cuts. That’s why we are fighting for lower costs. Our energy plan to bring down the cost of the purchase these are our businesses can compete around the world. That’s why we have a plan to fix the GST, so there is a level playing field across Australia for all businesses which are operating in this country.

Updated

In the other place, it doesn’t look like a vote on the company tax cuts will be coming anytime soon – it is looking like tomorrow at this stage.

Mehreen Faruqi is due to deliver her first speech this afternoon.

But right now, it is about the questions:

Deborah O’Neill: I refer to reports that the member for Dickson, Peter Dutton, was running a joint ticket with the member for Flinders, Greg Hunt, for the leadership and deputy leadership of the Liberal party. Can the minister guarantee that the minister for health was not running a joint ticket with the member for Dickson, Peter Dutton, in the vote against prime minister Turnbull?

Bridget McKenzie: I have no response to Senator O’Neill’s question. I don’t respond to speculation from the Labor party.

O’Neill: Does the minister for health retain full confidence in the prime minister?

McKenzie: I have nothing to add to my first answer.

Updated

Tony Burke is up next talking about the “colleague that almost half of your colleagues prefer”.

The person who nearly half of your colleagues prefer was the author of the GP tax. The person nearly half of your colleagues prefer is the person who cut ... from hospitals. The person who nearly half of your colleagues prefer is the person who axed national dental programs and was voted by doctors as the worst health minister for 50 years ... This prime minister looks at his beliefs and says, ‘I will throw that one away, don’t need to believe in that, any member of the backbench can have a right of veto, no matter how important I said it was.’

Updated

Michael McCormack is up next and you can tell just how insane this day has become, because it has prompted him to almost develop a personality.

Maybe because he is also fighting for his own job.

We reject this motion outright Mr Speaker, we have confidence in the prime minister but we know a few things about this opposition leader. We know he stands for higher taxes. We know his party stand for higher energy prices. Look at the sorry lot behind him. The member for Watson, let’s not forget, people haven’t got that short memory to recall what Labor stood for when it was in power. The member for Watson wanted to take the water rights, irrigation rights, from my farmers, from farmers right throughout river communities in Australia. That is what he stood for. The member for McMahon, remember all of those boats. Look at his face. His was the face that launched hundreds of ships. Hundreds of ships. They came, there were 55,000 people who arrived on authorised, and he was responsible for a lot of those.

There were 1200 deaths at sea. And doubtless tragic. There were 800 boats. Labor put more beds in detention centres than they ever did in hospital. What a sorry figure. He described the recent blackouts in SA, which caused so much to spare for businesses throughout SA, as nothing more than a hiccup.

Updated

Tanya Plibersek:

The member for Warringah is calling the shots, because the member for Warringah has right of veto over every government policy, one position. Next it will be the member for Dickson. The member for Dickson, sitting on the lap of the member for Warringah like a really scary wooden puppet come to life. With the hand of the member for Warringah up his back. He’s back. Like Chucky. Like ... Glenn Close in fatal attraction.

Updated

When you become a mood.

The leader of the opposition, Bill Shorten, and the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, during question time
The leader of the opposition, Bill Shorten, and the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, during question time. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Updated

Everything is totally fine, guys.

The leader of the House, Christopher Pyne, and the foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, arrive for question time
The leader of the House, Christopher Pyne, and the foreign affairs minister, Julie Bishop, arrive for question time. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

Tanya Plibersek: “If he is doing such a great job, why did half his party vote against him this morning?”

She is giving her speech in support of Labor’s motion.

Updated

“OMG, Turnbull is done,” one witness to this messages me from their spot chamber.

That continues a theme – two messages have just pointed out that “Tony Abbott continues to be the greatest opposition leader this country has ever seen”.

Updated

Terri Butler continues her grand tradition of being booted from question time with a “spark up, Sunshine” heckle.

Peter Dutton seems to appreciate it. The man who can now smile has not stopped.

Updated

As Malcolm Turnbull delivers his never-ending dixer answer, Peter Dutton is toying with his phone, turning it over and over again in his hands.

Tony Abbott is very busy reading very important things and most backbenchers are involved in micro conversations with themselves.

At least Labor is listening.

This is not exactly inspiring from Malcolm Turnbull.

He is listing what the government has done, and is committed to do, but it sounds like he has just taken every dixer answer and is running it together.

Malcolm Turnbull got up a little too quickly to defend himself agains this motion, prompting Tanya Plibersek to point out that he looked like he wanted to second the no-confidence motion.

Updated

Labor has asked finance minister Mathias Cormann whether reports that the prime minister is considering calling an early election are accurate. He replies “no”.

Asked if Malcolm Turnbull could call an election before the next Liberal party room meeting, Cormann riffs on Paul Keating’s famous answer to reply:

“As I’ve said to Senator Wong before – we will do you slowly. The next election is not due till the first half of next year.”

Labor’s Kim Carr interjects that “[Peter] Dutton will do you slowly” and “Tony [Abbott]’s been doing you very slowly”.

Cormann adds the election will be at the “normal time” and accuses Bill Shorten of “wishful thinking” in wanting an early one.

Updated

“This is a government that is desperate to survive,” Bill Shorten says, finishing up his speech on the motion.

Malcolm Turnbull has his notes ready. There are quite a lot of handwritten notes in those margins.

In answer to Jenny Macklin’s previous question:

The government is not alone:

Updated

Even though yesterday seems a very long time ago, the ACCC has announced that it has been officially directed to look at power prices:

The federal government has directed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to monitor and report on prices, profits and margins in the supply of electricity in the National Electricity Market.

The first report is due to government by 31 March 2019, with reporting to continue at least every six months until 2025.

The formal government direction enables the ACCC to use its information-gathering powers, meaning electricity providers are legally required to provide the ACCC with information relating to the inquiry.


Updated

Peter Dutton’s office has put out an entreaty to colleagues. Also known as a statement. You decide.

My priority is to ensure Bill Shorten never becomes prime minister of this country. I will work hard every day until the next election to ensure the Coalition wins and that we save the country from a Shorten Labor government. Thank you to my colleagues for their considerable support in the party room this morning.

I have served on the frontbench for 14 years under four leaders of the Liberal party with integrity and loyalty.

I have never harboured any animosity towards Malcolm Turnbull, not before this ballot, and not now.

I believe that if we can get the policies right and deliver strong messages on cheaper electricity prices, migration and infrastructure as well as health, education and aged care we can win the next election.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the men and women of the home affairs department and its portfolio agencies for the incredible work they do day and night to keep Australians safe.

Governments set the policy direction, as the Coalition has done with Operation Sovereign Borders, but we rely on the tireless efforts of these people to face the many challenges today’s world poses our nation.

I’m incredibly proud of the work they do and to have been the inaugural minister for home affairs.

Updated

Over in the Senate, things are going just as well:

Jenny McAllister: Does the Minister retain full confidence in Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells: Yes.

McAllister: Can the Minister guarantee that she did not support the Member for Dickson, Peter Dutton, in the vote against Prime Minister Turnbull?

CFW: I think as a former President of the Labor Party you know that what happens in the party room stays in the party room.

After first denying the debate, the government has changed its mind and is now going to allow this motion debate:

“On reflection, the government will take the debate with relish,” Christopher Pyne says.

Bill Shorten:

Australia has a prime minister in name only. Without power, without policies. This is an appalling outcome for the nation. After yesterday, when we saw how divided the government was, they are more divided today than they were yesterday. The conduct of this narcissistic government is both shocking and selfish, and undervalues the Australian people.

This House should vote for no confidence because the prime minister has no authority, no power and no policies. And the reason for that, sits behind him. If nearly half of his own government do not want him to be the prime minister, why should the rest of Australia have to put up with them? The case for no confidence in the prime minister has five points.

If the prime minister’s own party does not want him, and nearly half of his party voted against him remaining prime minister, why should the parliament put up with them? The second reason of course, we saw yesterday the dismal paralysis on policies to lower energy prices and tackle climate change cannot pass the parliament because this prime minister is not have the confidence of all of his backbench.

Thirdly, this prime minister has never seen a fight for his principle is that he hasn’t squeaked. And he has notoriously poor judgment, which his backbench in front edge are willing to tell any journalist anonymously at any time.

And fourthly, more importantly than the first three reasons, this prime minister and his government are ignoring the real challenges of the Australian people, and it means we can have no confidence in him. Finally, the reason why this parliament should have no confidence in the prime minister, there are divisions at the heart of this government which cannot be papered over by simply changing the salesman for this government.

Turning to the first case why we should have no confidence in the prime minister. We saw remarkable scenes that yesterday the former minister for home affairs said he supported the prime minister until today. More than just his challenge to the prime minister, the fact that 34 other colleagues and within 24 hours of the prime minister spilling his own position, wanted him gone. This government has lost the will to live. And indeed, what is more significant is that some of the people who voted against the prime minister still set in executive of this parliament.

Updated

Bill Shorten is moving a motion of no confidence. It is back to the 43rd parliament all over again.

You can almost see Tony Abbott miming the words.

Peter Dutton has not stopped texting since he took his seat.

Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:

Can he confirm that only yesterday that he admitted that just one government member is enough to prevent the government introducing legislation into the parliament, and can he confirmed to date that almost half of his Liberal colleagues voted against him remaining Australia’s prime minister, and does he recognise now that a clear majority of the members of parliament behind him and in front of him no longer want him to be prime minister of Australia?

Turnbull:

Labor is terrible.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull is delivering the first Dixer, but no one is listening.

Except Michael McCormack. He is doing his very best impression of an interested deputy.

Updated

Question time begins

Bill Shorten to Malcolm Turnbull:

Given that nearly half of his parliamentary colleagues, including several of his ministers, have today expressed a lack of confidence in the prime minister, how can the prime minister claim to have any mandate to govern this country?

Turnbull:

The mandate our government has came from the 2016 election, remember that? We won and you lost.

There is more, but no one can hear it over the noise in the chamber, and it is a variation of the “Labor is terrible” speech we have heard for the past two years.

“Like a carcass swinging in the wind,” comes from the Labor benches as Turnbull finishes up.

“Malcolm Terminal” is another favourite from the Labor side of the House.

Updated

Peter Dutton is in the chamber....he is sitting next to Julian Leeser.

The smiles are so sweet in this place right now, they could give you a toothache.

Jenny Macklin is back with a repeat of ‘WHO IS THE PRIME MINISTER’

She is reminded by Tony Smith that her microphone works.

Meanwhile, the frontbench made sure to walk in very, very slowly to ensure all the cameras caught their smiles.

Most of Labor is in the chamber, while the government is still a little late.

Which meant they just missed Julian Hill’s speech about Christopher Pyne’s disclosure of two tickets to Hamlet.

It was a rousing speech, including a reference to Greg Hunt as ‘Yorick’.

Which is apt, given the Hamlet reference...but also a favourite nickname of Labor, because if you swap out Greg for Yorick you get...

We are in the downhill slide to question time – I’ll be heading into the chamber, so hit us up with your predictions in the meantime.

Updated

A VERY smily Peter Dutton is being used to promo Laura Jayes’s exclusive interview with him, just after 3pm on Sky News.

Updated

To be fair, we did know Peter Dutton could smile before this.

I mean, there was even that time he cracked a joke about our Pacific neighbours about to go under water because of climate change.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop welcomed the “overwhelming” support of their colleagues. Peter Dutton just thanked those same people for their “considerable” support.

This is officially the Schrödinger cat of leadership challenges.

Updated

Just back to the Senate temporarily. The debate on the government’s company tax cuts is still raging on. Crossbench senator Derryn Hinch is asking for a $500m cap that would prevent the tax cut going to big business.

That’s rejected out of hand by the finance minister, Mathias Cormann. Cormann said it would create a “perverse incentive” for businesses to keep their turnover below $500m in order to retain a lower tax rate.

He also said it would permanently lock in a higher tax rate for such businesses, which any future government would struggle to change.

“If we now locked in a $500m cap, we would never, ever revisit it. It would be absolutely impossible for us to say to the public, ‘We want you to now just support a tax cut ... just for businesses with a turnover of $500m’,” Cormann said.

“The practical effect is that we would be locking in ... a 5% higher tax rate for businesses with a turnover of more than 500m.”

Updated

So what just happened there?

Well, we were introduced to the “real” Peter Dutton, the one who can smile and joke and will happily pose for soft at-home features for the weekend papers, which I assume are being organised as we speak.

He ran us through his job credentials, giving us his LinkedIn profile on camera, before refusing to rule out challenging for the leadership again and making it absolutely clear he believes himself to be the best chance of defeating Malcolm Turnbull. I mean, Bill Shorten.

If anything, future prospective employers, he probably cares too much. His biggest fault is he is a perfectionist.

If he had a glass of water, I am sure he would have overfilled it to demonstrate that he “always gives 110%” to everything he does.

In the real world, we call that a job application.

Updated

Just in case it is not clear, here is Peter Dutton not ruling out challenging for the fifth time in a row, coming just after he detailed his credentials:

I believed I was the best person to lead the Liberal party to success at the next election. I respect the view of the party room and accept that outcome and I will do whatever I can now to make sure that we are in a position to win the next election and to make sure that Bill Shorten never becomes prime minister.

Updated

BUT WILL HE CHALLENGE AGAIN?

I am not going to provide critiques. The critique I am willing to provide is in relation to Bill Shorten because I think he is unfit to be prime minister of this country. I will make sure that I can do all I can to make certain that the Coalition wins the next election and that Bill Shorten never ever becomes prime minister.

Updated

Yeah, but will he challenge again? And would there be room for Tony Abbott on the frontbench?

I have gone through what my job is now and that is to make sure that I can help the Coalition win the next election.

Updated

But will he challenge again?

In terms of colleagues, I am grateful for the support they have provided and grateful for the encouragement they have given me. I am proud to put my hand up because I believed it was for the right purposes. As I said before, I harbour no animosity towards Malcolm Turnbull and have always had a productive working relationship with Malcolm Turnbull and I harbour no animosity towards the prime minister now. I want to make sure that I can support the party and make sure we win the next election.

Updated

Will he challenge again?

It is not my job, but having lost the ballot today, my job is to respect the view of the party room, which I do. I have been in the parliament for 17 years and on the frontbench for 14. I will work every day to make sure that the Coalition is elected at the next election and I want to make sure that I support the prime minister and make sure that we support the policies of the government because ultimately I never ever want to see Bill Shorten as prime minister of this country because it would be a disaster. My job from here, my next step, my job from here, that is to make sure I can prosecute the sort of messages that I have just spoken about and that is what I am focused on

Updated

Where to now?

My position from here will be to do what I can as a backbencher to make sure that I support the government, to make sure we are elected and can keep Bill Shorten from the Lodge. I believe strongly that we can win the election if we get the policies and the message right about lowering electricity prices, about making sure that we can do more on infrastructure and in particular around the migration program, until the infrastructure can catch up in our capital cities.

We need to invest more in water to get farmers out of drought so they do not go through what they go through at the moment. We need to invest record amounts into health and education, aged care and other areas as well. I would like to contribute to public debates. I very much want to support the government and make sure the Coalition can win the next election.

Updated

On why he put his hand up:

I made a decision not because I had any animosity towards Malcolm Turnbull. I made a decision to contest this ballot because I want to make sure we can keep Bill Shorten from ever being prime minister of this country. We have an incredible country and I served for17 years in the parliament. I served for almost 10 years as a police officer and for many of us in public life, we are determined to do the best thing we can for the country.

The problem is that Bill Shorten would be a disastrous prime minister of this country and I believe I had the best prospect of leading the Liberal party to success at the next election. That was not to be today and I understand and I respect the outcome and I fully support the prime minister and the cabinet.

Updated

Peter Dutton’s pitch:

Firstly I would like to say thank you to my colleagues for their considerable support in the party room.

The conversations and words of encouragement that I have had with them in recent times, I am quite grateful for the support they have provided to me. I am also incredibly proud of the work that our men and women do day and night within the agencies of home affairs to keep Australians safe.

It is a serious business and when we have the threats that we do to a country like ours, you do need to make tough decisions and you have to make tough decisions that are ultimately are in the best interests of all Australians.

I did that for border protection, I did it in relation to the home affairs portfolio. I have been on the frontbench for 14 years and have served four Liberal leaders loyally, including Malcolm Turnbull. Over that period of time I have been assistant treasurer to Peter Costello and John Howard, with whom I work quite closely and to this day I consider a mentor. I have been the shadow minister for health and finance, I have been the health minister, the minister for sport and I have been the minister for workforce participation.

But I have most enjoy being minister for home affairs because of the people who work within those agencies and the incredibly important work that they support. I am proud of the fact that I got children out of detention. We have now moved almost 400 people off Manus Island and Nauru and that is a significant achievement. I worked closely with Malcolm Turnbull to make sure we can achieve that. We closed the detention centres and we kept the boats stopped and we know that threat still exists and like no other country in the world, we have been able to deal with our migration program.

Updated

Peter Dutton: 'I can smile'

The former home affairs opens with his softer side on show:

“It is good to be in front of the cameras where I can smile and maybe show a different side to what I show when I talk about border protection” is his opener.

Updated

There is movement at the station - Peter Dutton is about to make his address to his colleagues.

And to you.

But mostly his colleagues.

Now that he is a backbencher, I give it about 2.3 seconds before we are being introduced to the “real Peter Dutton”.

Updated

Peter Dutton will hold his first press conference as a backbencher at 1.15pm.

He has chosen the favourite of the backbencher press conference locations: the Senate courtyard.

Updated

Everything is totally fine – this is the face of a man who thinks everything has been absolutely worth it.

Can’t you tell?

The Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull at a press conference in the PM’s courtyard,
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull turns on the smile at a press conference in the PM’s courtyard. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Everything is fine.
Everything is fine. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Absolutely fine
Absolutely fine. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

Take-away from that press conference: with treasury and home affairs, Scott Morrison is effectively running the machinery of government right now.

Updated

We have gone international! From the Chinese state media:

Updated

And how did the government manage to narrowly win that vote? Murray Watt thinks he knows:

Updated

The government has narrowly won a vote to keep its company tax cut bill alive. It won a vote on the second reading stage 35-34. It is now moving amendments to exclude the big four banks from the lower tax rate. It’ll no doubt anger the banks, but might win the government more support from the crossbench.

Finance minister Mathias Cormann says: “In the interests of a compromise, the government is willing to move these amendments to exclude the … big four banks to accessing the reduced company tax rate,” he said. Cormann challenges Labor to now support the amended bill.

Labor, you’ll remember, have campaigned hard against giving tax cuts to the big banks, which have had their reputation trashed in the royal commission. “If it’s all about the big four banks, no doubt you will vote in favour of these amendments and then vote in favour of the legislations as a whole,” Cormann says. It’s safe to say Labor is unimpressed.

Labor senator Doug Cameron responds: “Well, what a pathetic performance that was from Senator Cormann, from a pathetic government that’s on the rocks.”

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull goes to leave, but Julie Bishop stops him and asks if she can say something.

Bishop refuses to say if she was anticipating a challenge from Greg Hunt for the deputy leadership and instead echoes Turnbull:

I have seen leadership challenges before and this was a resounding vote of support in the leadership team. We don’t take it for granted, but what I say to all those who didn’t vote for the Prime Minister, we now have the opportunity to focus on what the electorate want to hear from us. And that is we are directing all our energies, all our efforts into lower taxes, lower costs, particularly energy costs, and more jobs in the Australian people. That is what we are going to continue to deliver.”

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull will not say if any other members of his cabinet voted against him:

It is a secret ballot, my job is to do everything I can to ensure that we are united and work together. As you know, I don’t bear any grudge against Peter Dutton for having stood up and challenged me today, and I invited him to continue in his position. It is really important that we put this sort of, differences – there are always differences in political parties, of course – that we put these differences behind us and get on with our job of looking after the 25 million Australians who have put us here. That is our job, looking after them. And we have to put 25 million Australians first. They hate it when we are talking about each other, political dramas, meat and drink for the press gallery but Australians want lower taxes, lower energy bills, record spending on essential services, strong economic growth, and record jobs growth. Our job is to work for the people who put us here.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull confirmed he asked Peter Dutton to remain in the cabinet, but Dutton declined.

Scott Morrison will take over the home affairs portfolio.

What did he say to his colleagues?

What I say is exactly what I said to them in the party room – to all of my colleagues, that we need to be united. And united we are able to deliver the great results that we have for all Australians.

You cannot deny the achievements of our government. We have delivered lower taxes, record spending on essential services, we have started to turn the corner on energy prices. We are seeing the strongest economic growth we have had for a long time, and last year was the strongest jobs growth in the history of the country.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull addresses the media

He comes out with a giant smile and all of the sweeping hand movements.

Our job is to ensure that we do everything we can to ensure their taxes are lower, their energy bills are lower, that the economy is growing, that their businesses have great prospects, but they have a better chance of getting a job. Here are more opportunities, and we have the resources to enable us to spend on essential services, or record amounts into health and education, infrastructure, and keeping Australians safe.

Australians expect us to be focused on them, and talking about their issues. They don’t like us being focused on ourselves or talking about each other. That is why it is very important that today the Liberal party room has confirmed our leadership of the party. A reminder for parties and governments to be united and determined to keep delivering for the people for whom they work – 25 million Australians. We know that disunity undermines the ability of any government to get anything done. Unity is critical. We cannot allow, as I said in the party room today, our internal issues to undermine our work, to create a risk, a real risk, that Bill Shorten will be the prime minister.

Updated

Craig Kelly has broken his long-held silence (it may actually be about three hours since we last heard from him) and told ABC radio it was time to move on:

It is now time for stability. It is time to get back and to argue the differences between the good work we are doing in the Coalition and the alternate, which is the reckless and ideological and economically damaging policies that the Labor party offers this nation. It is our job, as every single Coalition member, to make sure that we get together and we do not allow Bill Shorten to become the next prime minister of this country.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull has called a press conference, with Julie Bishop, for 12.30pm – in the prime minister’s courtyard.

Which, as we know, is the most serious of the press conference locales.

And it is almost a week to the moment he stood in that same spot and declared victory on the Neg battle in the party room.

Updated

Trent Zimmerman is trying to find the silver lining.

He was doorstopped and described the feeling in the party room as:

I think there is relief that what has been a messy week, to be frank, is now behind us, and there is a strong sense that we need to move on and we need to be focusing on those issues that Australians want us to be focussing on.

We have been a good government, we will continue to be one and hopefully the events of the last week are now behind us.

Narrator: They were not

Updated

Government moves to carve out banks from company tax bill

After rubbishing it for weeks, the government is now attempting to carve out the banks from the company tax bill in a last-ditch attempt to win the bill.

This could be to keep the bill alive past the second reading stage.

Updated

If Peter Dutton eventually becomes prime minister, how many voters will have heard of him?

The progressive thinktank the Australia Institute has run regular polling on “ministerial recognition” for a couple of years. Its most recent poll was conducted in March and April.

One of the questions: “Which, if any, of the following government ministers have you heard of?” Results:

Julie Bishop is the most recognisable minister (79% of voters). She’s been at the top since March 2016.

Christopher Pyne is the second-most recognisable (58%). He’s enjoyed that position for as long as Bishop.

Peter Dutton’s visibility has been on the rise. He is now the third-most recognisable minister (57%). He overtook Scott Morrison in September last year. Morrison has dropped from third to fourth (54%).

Then there’s a big gap.

Mathias Cormann comes in fifth, at just 33% of voters. He’s followed by Greg Hunt (31%) and Michaelia Cash (31%), Josh Frydenberg (30%), Kelly O’Dwyer (26%) and Arthur Sinodinos (23%).

* The Australia Institute surveyed 1,557 Australians between 27 March and 7 April 2018 online through Research Now, with nationally representative samples by gender, age and state and territory.

Updated

In the least surprising news today, Eric Abetz confirmed he voted for Peter Dutton:

Mathias Cormann is summing up the government debate in the Senate on the company tax cut plan, but it is done. It’s as dead as the Neg.

Cormann isn’t even pretending to be enthuastic.

Summary of the party room: 'This is just fucked'

I’ll give you a quick tick tock of the morning.

Proceedings opened with Malcolm Turnbull declaring the government can win the next election, but disunity was killing it. He then spilled the leadership, and Peter Dutton contested.

Turnbull, we know, won the ballot.

The Nationals joined the Liberals and the party room then moved into general discussion. There was a briefing about the energy backflip. According to folks in the room, Eric Abetz during the briefing wanted to know the status of the emissions reduction component of the national energy guarantee: “I don’t know if the parrot is dead, or just asleep,” Abetz said.

He was assured the parrot was unconscious until such time as the numbers allowed it to be revived.

There was then an invitation to talk through the events of recent weeks. Julia Banks, Damian Drum and Michelle Landry expressed frustration with the government’s nosedive.

According to colleagues Drum declared: “This is just fucked.”

National John “Wacka” Williams declared, in the context of the royal commission, that tougher penalties needed to be imposed on superannuation trustees.

Tony Abbott then asked for a political discussion. He wanted to know what had happened in the Longman byelection and why did the government raise expectations about winning the seat. He said the government needed to fight on issues that appeal to small-C conservatives.

The homily wasn’t well received by colleagues. Warren Entsch and Drum, as well as Landry and Ann Sudmalis expressed their displeasure with Abbott, and said the government was currently its own worst enemy.

A number of MPs also overheard Luke Howarth telling Nola Marino that both Turnbull and Abbott should resign.

A little window on another day in paradise.

Updated

Popping my eyes over the chamber and it looks like there were a few more MPs taking the opportunity for reflection during the opening prayers

The office clean-out has begun:

Has anyone checked if our borders are still safe?

Updated

The bells are ringing for parliament.

We are still five minutes away from this day’s business officially starting.

The company tax cut poll is coming up in the next couple of hours. The government needs eight of the 10 crossbenchers. It has four – and there has been no indication either One Nation or Centre Alliance are going to shift

Updated

The bookies have switched up the October election odds.

Sportsbet has October as the new favourite in the market, moving from $10 into $2.50 following the spill.

Malcolm Turnbull is now $1.55 to be leader at the election, with Peter Dutton not ruled out on $2.55.

Another leadership spill is likely to happen at odds of $1.55; not occurring pays $2.25.

Labor has been the main benefactor from today, moving from $1.45 into $1.40 to win the election; the Coalition is out to $2.85 from $2.50.

Updated

A rather prescient study was released this week, measuring public trust in all levels of government. It was released ahead of a symposium that’s brought anti-corruption and governance academics to Canberra. The study shows only 46% of Australians still trust the federal government a “great deal” or a “fair amount”. About 51.8% rated their trust of federal government as “not very much” or “none at all”. It’s hard to blame anyone, really, given the current circus in parliament. Other results of interest:

  • 85% of respondents said they believed some, most or all of the federal members of parliament were corrupt
  • two-thirds supported the establishment of a federal anti-corruption body

You can read our full report here.

Updated

The real winner here is apparently Julie Bishop. She is apparently the Highlander of leadership challenges.

Updated

Outside of parliament, Paul Karp has just pointed me to this:

“Unity has to be created and loyalty has to be earned. They can’t just be demanded” – Tony Abbott.

Updated

In addition to Warren Entsch criticising Tony Abbott for breaking his promise of “no wrecking, no sniping”, we hear that Nationals MP Damian Drum also issued a “scathing assessment” of people leaking and undermining the leadership.

“You’re a fucking disgrace,” he said, according to one Liberal MP.

Updated

The PMO is VERY quickly hosing down early election speculation.

Which makes sense – because they would be absolutely destroyed.

Updated

Tony Abbott speaks

Tony Abbott has come out of the meeting denouncing leakers

Updated

Darren Chester then all but tells Tony Abbott to consider his future:

Well, individuals need to assess their own position at a time like this. If you are proposed to be part of the team, if you are prepared to become the prime minister of the day and help him deliver his agenda, then stay part of the team. If you don’t want to be part of the team, then consider your future.

Updated

“I would simply say to my colleagues, the circus has to stop,” Darren Chester says. “There has been a vote and the prime minister won. Back the prime minister and give him an opportunity to finish the job that he started and deliver for all Australians.”

On the second challenge:

“For those who think that there is some second-strike theory working here, consider this: we have a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives; there is no reason to assume that anyone else could command that seat of majority in the House of Representatives. What I say to you simply and my colleagues: prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has the backing of the Liberal party room. Michael McCormack as deputy prime minister has the backing of the National party room. We are a team that needs to focus on delivering for Australians and that is the job we have been elected to do.”

Updated

Darren Chester is the first government MP to face the cameras after the Liberal party spill.

He is a Nationals MP, and has set up to talk about road funding in Gippsland. But everyone is there for the main show.

“The prime minister convincingly won the ballot in his Liberal party room today and I encourage my colleagues to back the prime minister and finish the job that he started ... The people expect us to focus on them. Every minute we spend talking about ourselves and focusing on ourselves, they are switching off. Let’s back the prime minister and get the job done.”

Updated

So if the challenge doesn’t come on Thursday, it will come when parliament resumes on 10 September.

No one is talking about no second challenge. No one.

Everyone expects a second one, it is just a question of when.

Updated

Labor has very helpfully pulled up a Malcolm Turnbull ABC interview from 2012, when Labor was in the midst of Rudd-Gillard-Rudd:

Some highlights:

There is great strength in our region, we are in a position to exploit it but we have a government that is focussed on itself and with a family feud – look, they make the Addams Family look functional. This is the most dysfunctional, chaotic government we’ve ever seen and you don’t need to tell you that because they’ve said it about themselves.

So they’ve trashed their record, they’ve trashed their equilibrium, they’ve trashed any sense of security or leadership they’ve got. The only thing they can do, the one thing they can do that the Australian people would thank them for is call an election and no confidence motion would achieve that but we need the independents to votes for it.

Look, you can overanalyse any poll but I don’t think there is any poll that is more, if you like, more freaky than this one. This is a political crisis of a kind we haven’t had in the lifetimes of most Australians.

Look Michael, it doesn’t matter what the polling of a particular leader is. I mean, the two things that matter, one we are well ahead on the party vote. That is what people go to vote for. They don’t go and vote, you know, do I like Tony Abbott or do I like Julia Gillard or do I like Kevin Rudd? It’s not a popularity contest, it’s a choice between two political movements

You just ask yourself this question – why do you invest? Why do you buy a new house? Why do you borrow some more money to expand your business? You do so because of confidence, of optimism, a sense of security about the future. How can anyone feel secure about the future when you’ve got a government falling in on itself?”

Updated

Just a reminder of where Peter Dutton was five days ago:

Peter Dutton: So Ray, the most effective I can be, mate, is providing advice which I do and I give frank advice, I can promise you that, to the prime minister, to my other colleagues, if I don’t agree with what we are doing, or with a policy, or I argue vehemently that something should be changed or dropped. I get my way sometimes, sometimes I don’t. I work as a team player. I am not going to be a part of the cabinet and then bag the prime minister out, as was the case with Tony Abbott – some stuff, I didn’t agree with when Tony was prime minister, I made my case, as I have with Malcolm, where you can have a general conversation, you can have a raised voice conversation, I express my view and I give as a member of the cabinet when I can do that, but I am not bagging my colleagues or my prime minister, publicly. I have my utmost respect for my colleagues and if I have something to say to them, I say it in private and that is my responsibility as a cabinet minister.

Now, if my position changes, that is, it gets to a point where I can’t accept what thegovernment is proposing or I don’t agree, then the Westminster system is very clear – you resign your position, you don’t serve in that cabinet, and you make that very clear in a respectful way.

Ray Hadley: Well, if someone actually did that and I am not suggesting that you be the one to do it, it may demonstrate to the prime minister, as Dennis Shanahan has written so expertly today, that he is in a very tenuous situation. If someone, in cabinet, said “I can’t countenance any longer” … 38 Newspolls, two-party preferred, you’ve lost the battle mate. If we are to have any hope against the Labor party in the forth coming federal election, we need to change the order.

Dutton: Mate …

Hadley: And if someone were to do that, maybe, just maybe, Peter, you might win that election. Just maybe.

Dutton: Well Ray, I can promise you, mate, I have no intention, and I never have, of giving up. I will fight til election day and beyond that, because Bill Shorten as prime minister of this country would be a disaster, there is no question of that, for the reasons and many others, that you’ve outlined this morning. Now, I am going to do the best I can to turn these polls around, I will do the best that I can in my portfolio, I think we kick some pretty good goals in this portfolio, we don’t get everything right, but I think that we do a good job and I want to make sure that I can be a part of restoring our fortunes, making sure that we are in a winning position by the time of the next election and I am not going to deviate from that path.

Updated

Labor has made some changes to the shadow ministry:

Linda Burney MP will become the new shadow minister for families and social services. This portfolio is vital to our policy agenda and central to our party’s values. I know Linda will prove a worthy successor to Jenny Macklin.

Ed Husic MP will retain his role as shadow minister for the digital economy while also taking on the new challenge of shadow minister for human services. I’m confident that Ed’s eye for detail and his thorough calm will serve job-seekers and vulnerable Australians well.

In addition to her current responsibilities as shadow minister for young Australians and youth affairs, Terri Butler MP will take on the role of shadow minister for employment services, workforce participation and future of work. Young Australians have got a raw deal from this government for far too long, and I think it’s important that their dedicated representative in the shadow ministry also has a say in shaping the workplaces of the future.

Senator Jenny McAllister will serve as the shadow assistant minister for families and communities – a promotion that reflects her outstanding work in the Senate.

Senator Louise Pratt, who is passionate about fair, affordable and accessible higher education, will take on the job of shadow assistant minister for universities.

Bill Shorten finishes his statement with “I thank all my team for their hard work and their unity of purpose.”

Updated

Our Queensland correspondent, Ben Smee, talked a little bit about Peter Dutton’s level of name recognition earlier.

It’s one of the questions marks hovering over him, should he take a second tilt at the leadership.

Is Dutton well-known to the broader public? Guardian Australia has run two profiles of Dutton in recent years. The first explored this very question.

Our reporter travelled to the electorate of Dickson and spoke to his constituents. Dutton was a stranger to most.

One woman, sitting 500m from his office, asked our reporter “who is Peter Dutton?”.

Another was asked who there local member was: “Is it Paul Smith?” he replied.

Past Labor polling has found Dickson to be one of the least politically engaged in the country.

All in a day’s work.

The Tasmanian senator Eric Abetz leaves the Liberal party room meeting
The Tasmanian senator Eric Abetz leaves the Liberal party room meeting. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

Parliament officially starts at 12pm.

But all the action will be in on the phones and in the halls.

It was only just over two years ago that Malcolm Turnbull tipped in $1.75 million of his own money to get the Coalition over the line at the 2016 election.

Seems like everyone is really, super grateful.

O-P-T-I-C-S

Updated

Sean Kelly wrote about what giving Peter Dutton the home affairs portfolio would mean, last year.

Annnnnnd it is definitely the backbench:

Updated

If we look purely at the Essential poll results for preferred prime minister in the last 12 months, the current crisis facing Malcolm Turnbull seems odd. He has consistently been more than 10 points above Bill Shorten in the preferred prime minister stakes. The latest result, from just last week, puts Turnbull at 41% for preferred PM, well above Shorten at 27%.

Poll one

It was a similar result for Turnbull’s approval rating. Last week, 42% of respondents said they approved of the job Turnbull was doing as PM. That’s about eight points ahead of the Labor leader.

Poll two

Of course, we know it’s not as simple as measuring leader against leader. If we take a look at the two-party-preferred vote, the Coalition has been consistently behind Labor. In fact, the Coalition has not won an Essential poll since mid-2016. The gap had narrowed considerably earlier this year, putting Labor only marginally ahead at 51-49. The results show lots of movement, back and forth, within the margin of error in the past year. The last result put Labor in a winning position at 52-48.

Poll three

We also know the Coalition pays most attention to Newspoll. There is another Newspoll due on Monday. It could deal a huge body blow to Turnbull, particularly if, as expected, the public reacts badly to the current turmoil within his government.

Updated

Peter Dutton is heading a different way, and is being chased by half of the media pack.

This is never a very graceful process.

Malcolm Turnbull ignored the cameras as he walked past. He was walking with Michael McCormack, because - optics.

Updated

The Liberals are filing down the hallway in groups of two, doing their best to look like EVERYTHING IS FINE.

Stuart Robert is having a joke with Josh Frydenberg and Scott Morrison. Jane Hume, walking with Julie Bishop, looked to give a wave. John McVeigh though (who sits in the regional Queensland seat of Groom but is counted as a Lib) looks pretty down. Steve Ciobo also looks like he has had better days, as does Linda Reynolds.

Basically, this is a good way of working out who in the Liberal party you want to play poker with.

Updated

Party-room meeting ends

The room has broken – they are all out.

Updated

This is not surprising:

This isn’t the first time Entsch has got stuck into Tony Abbott over his “no wrecking, no sniping” promise – and has repeated it back to him.

Entsch is also not that into backgrounding – he’ll say it publicly, if he feels like it. It looks like that list I posted a little bit ago, on where the Queensland contingent probably fell, is pretty spot on.

Updated

Eric Abetz and James McGrath have wandered out.

Meanwhile, talk in speculation land is firming that another challenge is looming on Thursday.

Updated

The Liberal party-room meeting has ended- and MPs are starting to trickle out.

Updated

Back in Queensland – and Peter Dutton’s seat of Dickson – Ben Smee tells us there is not a lot of awareness their local member has challenged for the leadership:

Dutton will, of course, now have more time to campaign in his marginal electorate of Dickson, also considered to be one of the least engaged in the country.

What do the Stamford locals think about Dutton’s leadership challenge and resignation from cabinet?

“I don’t even have a radio, mate,” says one.

“Oh, is he the member here? That’s probably really bad of me, I didn’t know,” says Susan, while picking up her morning coffee from a shop playing Land Down Under (and not the news) quite loudly. “I know a lot of people don’t like him, so that’s probably a good thing he’s not prime minister then.”

Updated

So the take-away so far.

Peter Dutton came within seven votes of toppling Malcolm Turnbull – without a proper lobbying campaign. He was taken aback by Turnbull’s wildcat spill motion – obviously he needs to brush up on Sun Tzu – because Dutton’s pushers were hoping to bring this all on later in the week. So he didn’t have his house in order, while Turnbull knew he had at least enough to keep the leadership.

And now he is free to do all the lobbying he wants. And only has to convince a handful of colleagues to switch sides.

Which is why Turnbull’s leadership is now untenable.

Updated

The LOLs are starting to roll in.

Updated

Labor have also held its party-room meeting – as have the Greens.

But not even they are pretending to be interested in anything other than what on earth the Libs are doing right now.

Updated

And just on that, Peter Dutton has legal advice that says he is fine.

But Katy Gallagher, Justine Keay and Josh Wilson also had legal advice saying they were fine.

Legal advice is not the high court.

Updated

“If he went to the high court, yes, he would be in strife,” constitutional expert Prof George Williams says, on the story broken by Hugh Riminton and researcher Kate Doak yesterday, over the conflict of interest Peter Dutton may have over his family’s childcare centre interests.

The short version is, when the government changed how the childcare subsidy was paid – from parents to the childcare centre directly – Dutton’s wife’s childcare centres, which are held in trust, may have become a section 44 blurred line.

That’s because that section also says you can’t receive a direct or indirect interest from the commonwealth.

As Williams says on Sky, this high court has taken a very strict view of the constitution – black letter, as we like to say – which means Dutton could be in trouble.

BUT, the government would have to refer him, for this to even be tested – which, at this point, they will not.

And as for the conspiracy theorists out there, this has not come from Labor or the government – Rimington and Doak have both said they started looking into this weeks ago, as part of an investigation into the business conflicts with section 44. Riminton was also the journalist who looked into Barry O’Sullivan’s possible conflicts, which Williams has backed.

But Williams says he doesn’t think that family trusts will protect MPs from the constitutional conflicts, given how the high court has been ruling.

This brings a whole heap more MPs into the section 44 quagmire.

Updated

You guys have not lost your love for a leadership spill in the intervening three years (give or take a month) since the last one.

Updated

For those pointing out that given there are 84 Liberals, the room was one vote short – Arthur Sinodinos is still on sick leave. His vote most likely would have gone to Malcolm Turnbull.

Updated

On that 1.6% margin – 3,600 votes or so – Peter Dutton has been fundraising since the moment the election ended in 2016, on top of the fundraising he has been doing since 2013.

The LNP might not have a lot of funds, but Dutton has been building his own war chest since witnessing how close GetUp came to turfing him out at the last election, and working out how best to spend it.

Updated

See – movable beast

Updated

So, this is a very fast-moving beast today.

I am being told (and I note that Sky is getting the same intel) that Peter Dutton, in an attempt to “reach across the table” to the moderates (and this has very much been a moderate vs conservative battle within that “broad church”) may keep Tony Abbott out of the cabinet – and keep Australia in Paris.

It’s being billed as a “we can govern from the centre” push, as a way to get some of those other supporters across the line.

Given that I doubt that Abbott actually cares that much about energy policy – and is more concerned with getting Malcolm Turnbull out – he will probably be OK with that. Maybe. Who actually knows how that man thinks?

Updated

Labor election ready

Labor is election ready – the campaign headquarters will be in Parramatta, I am told, and trial runs have already been completed. The teams have been in place since the beginning of the year, and those teams came together for “training” in the two weeks before parliament returned.

Updated

Everything is fine.

Liberal party whip Nola Marino reads out the result of the spill vote for the leadership.
Liberal party whip Nola Marino reads out the result of the spill vote for the leadership. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

There are messages and despatches flying all over the place at the moment. The Daily Telegraph reported Malcolm Turnbull offered Peter Dutton the opportunity to stay on the frontbench as home affairs minister, but Dutts turned him down.

Goodness, I just realised we will no longer be getting our daily Dutton Dixer.

Updated

Not only is Peter Dutton on a margin of 1.6% – that’s about 3,600 votes – he also attempted to move to the safe Queensland seat of McPherson in 2010 but lost.

Karen Andrews holds that electorate.

That’s a reminder from a moderate, which suggests the fight is still very much on.

Updated

All eyes are now on who is going to shift to the backbench with Peter Dutton.

The election speculation has started in earnest.

Yarralumla is just down the road.

You would think that the prime minister would try and get his cabinet in order first, but the main point to take from this, is that it is not over.

The leader of the Liberal party has lost the support of almost half his own party room. That’s not counting the Nationals who were already openly challenging his decisions.

And the moderates who supported Malcolm Turnbull have watched him roll over to that core group of conservatives time and time and time again, most critically, this week, on the energy policy he had said the government was absolutely committed to.

The Queensland contingent

On the Queensland front – where most of Peter Dutton’s core support comes from – the speculation is that Dutton’s camp would include Amanda Stoker, Scott Buchholz, Ian Macdonald, Stuart Robert, Luke Howarth, Ted O’Brien, Bert van Manen and Ross Vasta.

That’s Queensland speculation, from conversations over the last couple of days.

Andrew Laming is an unknown. Jane Prentice, Steve Ciobo, Warren Entsch, Trevor Evans, James McGrath and Karen Andrews are thought to be in the Malcolm Turnbull camp.

Updated

This was just the Liberal party room. The Nationals sit separately.

If you add in the Nats who don’t support Malcolm Turnbull – and we know who at least a few of those are – and you have an absolute mess.

Updated

And then there is this number:

To put those numbers in context: 48 to 35.

Julia Gillard won her first challenge from Kevin Rudd 71–31 (69.6%) – was defeated in the second.

Bob Hawke won his first ballot 66-44 (60.0%) – was defeated in the second.

Malcolm Fraser won his challenge from Andrew Peacock 54-27 (66.7%) – lost the election the following year

Updated

Peter Dutton resigns

Sky News is reporting that Peter Dutton has resigned, which was inevitable.

He said it himself on 2GB last Thursday – that he would follow Westminster tradition.

He goes to the backbench, but he is now free to say whatever he wants, no longer bound by cabinet – which is the perfect place to announce a leadership platform.

Updated

The “conservative rebels”, as they have coined themselves, are:

  • Tony Abbott
  • Eric Abetz
  • Kevin Andrews
  • Andrew Hastie

That group has just managed to almost topple the prime minister.

Updated

The word that I (and most of the press gallery) is getting is that Peter Dutton is now expected to resign.

Will he be alone? Given there were only seven votes between them, I would say that is a statistical improbability.

Updated

What does this mean?

Well here’s the short version. In the space of 24 hours, Malcolm Turnbull has gone from complete capitulation to full frontal confrontation.

Turnbull called on the spill because he believed he had the numbers. He was right. He won 48 to 35.

But once you call these things on, you wear the results. Turnbull, and everyone in the government, now knows there are 35 people who no longer support his leadership of the Liberal party.

And the voters of Australia know their government is in the grip of a poisonous civil war.

Updated

Nola Marino:

“I have conducted a ballot with my whips. The result of that ballot was Malcolm Turnbull was elected as the leader of the Liberal party 48 to 35.”

The deputy leader position was also spilled but Julie Bishop was the only nominee there.

“The process of the party room was as usual and the ballot was conducted as by precedence ... It is always orderly in our party room.”

Marino said Malcolm Turnbull “thanked his colleagues for their support” and will now be getting on with the job.

SUUUUUURRRRRRRRE

Updated

That number suggests that there are quite a few people who have switched sides from Malcolm Turnbull to Peter Dutton – which would suggest cabinet ministers have moved their loyalties as well.

Turnbull is facing a situation where almost half of his party does not believe he should be leader.

Expect a cabinet reshuffle – and another challenge in the near future.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull wins the leadership – 48 to 35

Sky News is reporting that Malcolm Turnbull survived the challenge.

But those numbers suggest that close to half the party supports Peter Dutton.

That is not good news for Turnbull moving forward.

We would expect Dutton to step down from the cabinet now.

Updated

If Peter Dutton emerges as the winner of this contest, one thing is sure – Australia will be pulling out of the Paris agreement, which is going to create absolute chaos in our trade negotiations with the EU – as Steve Ciobo has already floated.

Just a reminder that this time last week, Malcolm Turnbull was declaring victory in the party room over the Neg – calling a press conference to announce he had won the room over.

How time flies.

Updated

It’s a full spill – Julie Bishop’s position has also been called on for a vote.

So that’s the whole leadership up for grabs.

Updated

Party whip Nola Marino will announce the results of ballot in the courtyard.

But the press gallery is now so used to this (we haven’t done a full term without a leadership change since 2007) the cameras are already in position.

Updated

Inside the party room, the challengers will deliver speeches.

Each will lay out their case – which is important in this case, because there are quite a few minds who are not made up as yet. Forty-three is the magic number here.

Those who are undecided are questioning whether Peter Dutton’s chances will be any better for the Coalition in Victoria and NSW – and there is still a question mark over WA.

That’s a lot of seats.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull has called on spill - Peter Dutton puts up his hand

Malcolm Turnbull may have brought on the spill, but Peter Dutton has put up his hand to challenge.

There is a chance a new Liberal leader will be walking out of that party room.

Dutton’s supporters had wanted him to challenge, if they were sure of the numbers, later in the week. Parliament rises on Thursday until September, which gives a bit of space.

But Turnbull’s supporters have admitted defeat here – over not being able to stop the challenge. They are trying to flush it all out.

Updated

Malcolm Turnbull has called on the challenge to force his dissenters out.

It’s a way of attempting to take control of the situation.

Julia Gillard did this too – and then later, Kevin Rudd challenged.

Updated

Liberal party room leadership has been declared vacant

Malcolm Turnbull has called the challenge on.

Updated

Just a refresher, for this to happen at the party room meeting, the motion must be moved, seconded, then voted on.

Then the leadership is declared vacant and it is on.

If there is one challenger, it is won, unopposed and the party room pretends to be united.

If there is more than one challenger, it is done in rounds until someone gets 43.

Christopher Pyne arrived whistling. It’s not his first time at this particular rodeo.

It is five minutes out from the party room meeting and the word is ...

No one knows.

We are yet to reach the point where Kevin Andrews puts his hand up, for the good of the party, but don’t rule it out happening, as a way of kick-starting this whole process.

Updated

Damian Drum made his views on Tony Abbott very clear this morning.

“He vowed he wouldn’t be a wrecker and that is what he is being, and he needs to get out,” he said.

Victorian MPs, even the Nats, aren’t overly enamoured of a Peter Dutton prime ministership, given what they think it would do to their own election chances.

Except for Kevin Andrews of course.

Updated

Things went very quiet last night and have then heated right back up again today.

Outside of the die-hards, the two camps, at least from what I am hearing, appear to be split between:

  • Let’s just see what happens, because the next election is lost anyway, and maybe this will give us a shot/save us from election annihilation a la Kevin Rudd in 2013
  • We can’t believe we are here and this is absolutely going to destroy us

Peter Dutton’s margin is 1.6%, which means just under 4,000 voters need to change their vote for him to lose his seat.

Christopher Pyne said he has spoken to Dutton and he has re-affirmed his support to Malcolm Turnbull.

“Unless you have spoken to Peter Dutton directly, and I have, I think I have the better information,” Pyne told Sky.

Updated

Because there is not enough on today, the company tax cut bill should meet its demise a little bit later on.

Fairfax reported this morning Scott Morrison approached One Nation and offered to remove the banks from the company tax bill if it would bring them back to their side of the vote. One Nation said no.

It does show how desperate the government is to chalk up a win though, given how much Morrison had rubbished the idea of quarantining the banks from the tax cuts policy previously.

The hallways are ALIVE this morning.

Josh Frydenberg just walked past the office following an interview with ABC radio, with the cameras flashing and the name “Tony Abbott” floating in the air.

Asked about what would be happening in the party room meeting this morning, Frydenberg had this to say:

“I strongly support Malcolm Turnbull and we do know that one thing history teaches us is that there’s a high transactional cost from changing leaders – Labor and we have seen that.

“... I believe Malcolm Turnbull is the right person to lead us to the next election. He has helped deliver a million new jobs. He’s cut taxes for personal income tax and company tax. He’s delivered record defence spending and he continues to improve policies right across the board that are important to the wellbeing of the public.”

Updated

No smile today, but a very serious phone conversation for Peter Dutton as he drove into work today.

Home affairs minister Peter Dutton arrives for work this morning.
Home affairs minister Peter Dutton arrives for work this morning. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian
Serious business
Serious business. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Meanwhile, Julie Bishop arrived on foot

Foreign minister Julie Bishop arrives for work
Foreign minister Julie Bishop arrives for work. Photograph: Mike Bowers for the Guardian

Updated

The pressure is starting to get to Malcolm Turnbull’s supporters. Craig Laundy is the latest to let the exasperation into his voice during an interview.

On whether Tony Abbott should get out of politics:

It’s a decision for him. But my great hope is that, not just Tony but all colleagues, and my message is clear, that the more we are focusing on and navel-gazing, the more likely we are to be marked down by those in, not only my electorate but every electorate Australia-wide. That’s always been the case in politics and it hasn’t changed overnight. We need to come together, unite behind the prime minister and the new policy which we will see today in the party room which, for example, in my portfolio ... will reduce power bills. The adoption of the ACCC recommendations will reduce power bills for an average-size small and family business by $1,500 a year – that’s $1,500 that that business can have and reinvest back in to grow and employ more people, which is exactly what’s been happening over the past four and a half years under a Coalition government.

And on Turnbull’s achievements (and here is where he really let the pressure show):

My message is clearly aimed at everyone in our party that those electors, if we don’t stop navel-gazing and focus on the message of the Turnbull government which are vast – personal income tax reductions, company income tax reductions, record jobs growth, childcare reform, education reform – you know, these are all major reforms that are being done in a hostile Senate environment. They are the things we need to be out there prosecuting the case. If we are fighting amongst ourselves, guess what, when the voters go to the election, they’ll mark us down as they should, because they want us to know that we should be concentrating on the things that are important to them. And that’s definitely what I’ve been trying to do with the prime minister. Are there people that at the moment are disgruntled and think that we should be heading one way or another. There is always a team 85-strong, I would argue, of people that won’t see eye-to-eye with you.

Updated

Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen has been on Radio National.

He was asked about the failure of Josh Frydenberg’s national energy guarantee, and Malcolm Turnbull’s capitulation to conservatives in the Coalition.

Bowen’s points:

Turnbull has, “in a terrible abrogation of leadership”, given every backbencher the power of veto over government policy.

Labor has been willing to support the Neg, the emissions intensity scheme and the clean energy target, but Turnbull “hasn’t been able to deliver his own party”.

Labor hasn’t seen the Neg legislation, and even if it did, the legislation could change within hours given the febrile state of the Coalition party room.

On the government’s proposal to consider using divestiture powers to force the sale of electricity assets, he said that type of act would need to be thought through very carefully. “For the prime minister just to trot out, you know, at a press conference, and say, ‘here we go, here’s my latest thought bubble’, is not really how good policy is designed.”

Updated

Just a reminder that the National party MPs don’t get a vote. The leader of the Liberal party is a matter for those who sit in that party room. Which means that Kevin Andrews and Eric Abetz get a vote, but George Christensen and Keith Pitt do not.

Meanwhile, in the land of speculation, potential ministerial positions are being sussed out:

As we mentioned, Tony Abbott chose to come past the cameras again this morning.

He had “nothing to say”.

His former deputy Barnaby Joyce was asked if Abbott should “shut up” and Joyce had this to say:

That’s a question for Tony. Yesterday, my belief was that we had a very good outcome with something that we were fighting for in the National party for so long. Getting a proper contract price. Making sure that we get some baseload power built. That’s what this is about and I would like to see that happen.

As for what was happening in the Liberal party, Joyce said he had no idea:

It’s like asking me what’s happening in ... I don’t know, the parliament in New Zealand today. I’ve got no idea. Most of the time, I’m struggling to work out my own party room and working out the Liberal party room is even more difficult.

Updated

Our secret squirrels have been out and about and looking at the committee room bookings ... and a certain Peter Dutton has booked the infamous monkey pod room for straight after question time again.

You may remember that when Malcolm Turnbull challenged Tony Abbott in September 2015, he did it straight after QT. A booking means nothing – a lot of MPs have standard committee room bookings in their name – but it is worth noting, because, well, it is not exactly a calm environment we are existing in here at the moment.

Updated

Good morning

After a day of speculation we have woken to a dawn of new speculation.

It’s not, not on.

The Liberal party room meeting is at 9am AEST. Malcolm Turnbull’s loyalists have been out in force this morning urging unity and calm and to focus on the job, while the conservatives have said ... nothing.

But Tony Abbott said that nothing with a giant smile on his face, while reminding us all that there was a party room meeting today.

Peter Dutton has told his colleagues he supports the prime minister. But he hasn’t done anything to quell the speculation swirling around his potential tilt.

Basically, this whole thing could turn on a dime.

So let’s get into it. Mike Bowers is off special assignment and back in the hallways. Follow him at @mikepbowers and @mpbowers. You can find me in the comments, or at @amyremeikis.

I hope everyone has had their Weeties. Ready?

Let’s get into it

Updated

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