Oz minister calls it quits

– Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, a rare female voice in the Australian government, said yesterday she was quitting the frontbench after a failed tilt at the nation’s top job during a messy party-room coup.

The deputy chief of the Liberal Party, Bishop had put her hand up to be one of three candidates to replace former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in Friday’s leadership challenge, but received minimal support from colleagues even as opinion polls pointed to her popularity among voters.

Her departure has raised questions about whether she fell victim to party politics and a perceived glass ceiling for women.

“I will be resigning from my cabinet position as minister for foreign affairs,” Bishop said in a statement, signalling her intention to remain on the backbench.

A moderate, she reportedly garnered only 11 votes out of 85 in the leadership ballot.

A leaked WhatsApp chat between some Liberal members, revealed by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation yesterday, showed them pushing against voting for Bishop as a tactic to back Treasurer Scott Morrison, who finally emerged as the winner.

Australia has endured a turbulent period in politics that has seen six changes in the top job in 11 years. – AFP

Sydney