Dutton’s bid to replace Turnbull fails

SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull survived a leadership challenge by Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton yesterday but the narrow margin of his win did little to dampen speculation about his future.

Turnbull defeated Dutton 4835 in the partyroom vote for the leadership of the Liberal Party, the senior party in the centreright coalition. The vote came after a sharp fall in opinion poll ratings and talk of a challenge that have raised the possibility of an early election.

Turnbull called on his party to back him or risk losing the next election to the opposition Labor party.

‘‘We know that instability undermines the ability of any government to get anything done. Unity is absolutely critical,’’ he told reporters.

Labor wasted no time in moving a noconfidence motion against Turnbull in Parliament, but it failed when all government lawmakers in the lower house of Parliament backed their embattled leader.

Turnbull must return to the polls by May 2019 and could break the impasse by calling an early election. However, a state election in Victoria scheduled for late November is seen as limiting him to dates before the end of October if he intends to hold a national poll this year.

A spokesman for Turnbull declined to comment on the prospect of an early election.

Turnbull’s position remains in jeopardy despite surviving Dutton’s challenge, stoking expectations of further political instability in a country that has seen six leaders since 2009.

‘‘We’ve seen it so often in Australian politics — this twostage act play in removing a prime minister — and, given how close the vote was, there’s definitely more to come,’’ said Haydon Manning, a political science professor at Flinders University.

Dutton, a conservative who has the support of the powerful right wing of the Liberal Party, resigned from the Cabinet after losing the vote. Turnbull said he asked him to stay but he declined. Treasurer Scott Morrison would act as interim home affairs minister, Turnbull said.

Dutton said his decision to contest the leadership was not made out of animosity towards Turnbull, but because he believed he was the ‘‘best person’’ to lead the party to an election win.

‘‘I made a decision to contest this ballot because I want to make sure we can keep [Labor leader] Bill Shorten from ever being prime minister of this country,’’ he said.

‘‘I respect the outcome and I fully support the prime minister and the Cabinet.’’

He did not rule out another challenge as he thanked colleagues. ‘‘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,’’ he said.

By last night, four ministers other than Dutton had submitted their resignations, but Turnbull was refusing to accept them as his calls for unity appeared to go unheeded.

Minister for International Development and the Pacific Concetta FierravantiWells said in her resignation letter the party was ‘‘moving too far to the left’’. — Reuters/AAP