Curb on abrupt leadership change
Australia’s governing Liberal Party has introduced a drastic change to its rules to increase the difficulty of ousting a sitting leader in the future. >28
CANBERRA: Australia’s governing Liberal Party has introduced a drastic change to its rules to increase the difficulty of ousting a sitting leader in the future.
Two-thirds of federal Liberal parliamentarians, including both senators and lower house members, will be needed to support a change in the leadership, after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called a snap meeting late Monday.
The threshold is historically very difficult to reach.
Party president Nick Greiner yesterday said the new rule would stop arbitrary leadership changes.
“This is a clear admission we got it wrong ... it’s not about the individuals, it’s about the process,” he told national broadcaster ABC radio.
Morrison, 50, is Australia’s fifth prime minister since 2013.
A series of internal leadership coups by both the Liberals and the opposition Labor Party have ensured no prime minister has served an entire term in office since 2007.
Morrison himself unexpectedly ascended to the helm in August, after his colleagues ousted Malcolm Turnbull from the party leadership and thus the prime ministership, following what Turnbull later said was “a determined insurgency” by the conservative faction.
Monday’s decision by Morrison is seen as a move to boost his leadership and portray his government as stable and united, especially ahead of next year's general election.
“We can’t change the past but we can certainly change the future,” Finance Minister Matthias Cormann told Channel Nine television yesterday.
“What we are making sure here is that people across Australia can have confidence if they elect Scott Morrison as prime minister at the next election, he will continue to be the prime minister all the way through the next term of parliament.”
Turnbull said the change was “a welcome reform”.
“I think people will welcome the prospect of there being less of the revolving door prime ministership,” he told reporters in Sydney.
“How effective it will be? Time will tell.”
Ex-Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who was ousted in a very similar fashion by Turnbull in 2015, said he supported changing the rules.
“That was then, this is now. A very sensible move from the prime minister. He’s got my full support,” he told reporters in Canberra. —
I think people will welcome the prospect of there being less of the revolving door prime ministership. Malcolm Turnbull