Malcolm Turnbull's ministers trying to jump ship — who's in and who's out

Updated

A slew of resignation letters have landed on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's desk since the tight Liberal leadership ballot.

Who are the detractors Mr Turnbull can no longer rely on?

Cabinet: Peter Dutton

Leading the steady stream of resignations was former Home Affairs minister Peter Dutton, the man gunning for Malcolm Turnbull's job.

The conservative Queenslander and former cop announced his resignation from Cabinet soon after his bid for the Liberal leadership failed on Tuesday morning.

Unsurprisingly, Malcolm Turnbull accepted. Both men claim they hold no animosity towards each other but tensions are high.

Mr Dutton said he ran for the top job because he believes he is the best person to lead the Liberals to the next election, and "to ensure Bill Shorten never becomes Prime Minister of this country".

Mr Dutton is on the backbench for now, but just how long that lasts is anyone's guess.

Cabinet: Mathias Cormann

On Thursday morning Finance Minister Mathias Cormann announced he had resigned from Cabinet.

As the most senior conservative still loyal to Malcolm Turnbull, and a member of his cabinet, his move was significant.

"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we went to see the PM yesterday afternoon to advise him that in our judgement, he no longer enjoyed the majority of support of Liberal members," he said.

Cabinet: Mitch Fifield

The Victorian Senator and the man who replaced Malcolm Turnbull as Communications Minister announced his resignation from Cabinet on Thursday morning.

He said he had voted for Mr Turnbull in Tuesday's ballot but had changed his support.

"We cannot allow this situation to continue," Senator Fifield said.

Cabinet: Michaelia Cash

Senator Michaelia Cash has been in the Employment and Jobs portfolio since 2015.

She announced she had resigned from Cabinet on Thursday morning.

The West Australian said she had backed Mr Turnbull in Tuesday's ballot but had since changed her support.

Cabinet: Greg Hunt

Greg Hunt was one of the most prominent backers for Mr Dutton's leadership bid and is touted as the most likely contender for deputy leader in another spill.

The Health Minister was pushing hard for Julie Bishop's job had the challenge against Malcolm Turnbull on Tuesday succeeded. When it failed, he clearly felt the need to stand down from Cabinet.

While his resignation was offered on Tuesday night, as yet, it has not been accepted.

Mr Hunt found himself in hot water recently, after a small-town Northern Territory mayor demanded he apologise for losing his temper and launching a verbal tirade against her last year.

Cabinet: Michael Keenan

The West Australian MP is one of the four Cabinet members to offer up their resignation in the wake of Peter Dutton's leadership bid.

But the Human Services Minister's offer to quit the leadership team was also rebuffed.

He put out a statement on Tuesday night saying he respected the result from the party room and pledged his "full support" to the Prime Minister.

In saying that, two days before the spill Mr Dutton also tweeted his support for Mr Turnbull, so who knows how much Mr Keenan's words are worth.

Cabinet: Steve Ciobo

Steve Ciobo voted for Malcolm Turnbull in the last Liberal spill in 2015, but something must have changed because he went against him this time around.

Despite his apparent change of heart in backing his fellow Queenslander and offering to resign, Mr Ciobo remains the Trade Minister.

"The party room has decided leadership of our party. We must now unite to defeat Labor," he tweeted.

Mr Ciobo had long wanted to be part of the Cabinet and Mr Turnbull promoted him soon after ousting Tony Abbott from the leadership.

Outer Ministry: Concetta Fierravanti-Wells

The resignation of Concetta Fierravanti-Wells took a slightly different shape to the other deserters.

While they mostly offered their resignations, giving Mr Turnbull the option of accepting or rejecting it, the Minister for International Development and the Pacific simply tendered hers on the way out the door and took a few shots at the leadership as she went.

The New South Wales Senator said in a statement that she had suggested Mr Dutton should have been promoted to Deputy Leader months ago because the party had moved too far to the left, eroding the voice of their conservative base.

She famously warned Tony Abbott about his impending leadership woes before he was ousted in 2015, and urged him to dump his chief of staff Peta Credlin.

Outer Ministry: Alan Tudge

The Victorian conservative is yet another frontbencher who will keep his portfolio, despite offering to step down.

Alan Tudge is the Minister for Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs and he was the 10th person to tell the Prime Minister he wanted out.

Unsurprisingly, his resignation was rebuffed.

Some pro-Turnbull MPs in the Coalition say privately Mr Tudge has been disappointed he was not elevated to a Cabinet position in the last ministerial reshuffle.

Outer Ministry: Angus Taylor

Angus Taylor's portfolio of law enforcement and cyber security falls under the umbrella department of Home Affairs run by Peter Dutton.

The Minister has echoed some of Mr Dutton's sentiments, most recently and prominently on the topic of Sudanese crime in Melbourne.

He has been touted as someone likely to be catapulted straight into cabinet, if Mr Dutton becomes prime minister.

His resignation was not accepted by Mr Turnbull.

Assistant Minister: Michael Sukkar

Michael Sukkar is a staunch conservative and the main man doing the numbers for Peter Dutton.

He was one of a number of Victorian MPs, including Greg Hunt and Alan Tudge, to side with Mr Dutton in the leadership spill which Malcolm Turnbull narrowly won.

In a statement, Mr Sukkar said given his role as Assistant Treasurer, he felt he must offer to resign "as a matter of integrity".

He said formally tendered his resignation on Thursday.

Assistant Minister: James McGrath

James McGrath's offer to resign must have hit particularly close to home for Mr Turnbull because he is the Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister.

He was also crucial to helping the PM oust Tony Abbott in the 2015 leadership coup.

The conservative Queensland senator admitted publicly that he voted for Mr Dutton to become leader and said he also offered his resignation "as a matter of integrity".

Coalition sources say Senator McGrath has been frustrated with the current leadership for months and, while his offer was initially rebuffed, on Wednesday night he met with the Prime Minister to insist his resignation be accepted.

Assistant Minister: Zed Seselja

ACT Senator Zed Seselja is another staunch conservative and was a vocal critic of last year's same-sex marriage plebiscite, sitting out the vote in November.

He was also one of Tony Abbott's numbers men during the 2015 leadership spill, which Malcolm Turnbull won.

Despite offering to step down from his role as Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation, he took his seat on the Senate frontbench the day after Mr Dutton's leadership challenge.

He said formally tendered his resignation on Thursday.

Assistant Minister: Karen Andrews

Karen Andrews has voted for the conservative option in successive Liberal leadership ballots, so her decision to back Peter Dutton did not come as a big surprise.

The Queensland MP is the Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills and will remain in the position because Malcolm Turnbull turned down her resignation.

She has served as an assistant minister under two prime ministers but has been overlooked for promotion under Mr Turnbull.

Fun fact: Peter Dutton tried to move to her much safer Gold Coast seat of McPherson in 2009, but lost preselection.

Key backbencher: Nicolle Flint

In a previous career, this first-term Liberal MP worked as an advisor to Malcolm Turnbull.

But she is part of the Liberal party's conservative wing, so it is unsurprising she backed Peter Dutton in Tuesday's leadership spill.

She is a big advocate for recreational and commercial fishing and in her maiden speech to parliament, she spoke about the "modern day scourge of environmental and animal activism".

Key backbencher: Andrew Hastie

This former SAS trooper has made a name for himself calling out Chinese influence in Australian politics.

He is an ambitious and staunch conservative, who is a contender for future leadership roles in a Coalition government.

Mr Hastie strongly opposed same sex marriage and has argued that South Africans escaping violence should be treated as persecuted minorities.

He reserved his right to cross the floor over Malcolm Turnbull's now-defunct flagship energy policy and has been unhappy with the current leadership for some time.

Key backbencher: Sussan Ley

The loss of Sussan Ley's vote is a significant blow to Malcolm Turnbull, because she is a moderate Liberal.

She fell from grace after breaching parliamentary entitlement rules and was forced to resign from Cabinet in 2017.

She may have her eye on a return to the frontbench under a Dutton Prime-ministership.

But she is also passionate about rural issues, and Mr Dutton's promise to get more water to drought-stricken communities would not doubt be appealing to her.

Key backbencher: Ben Morton

Ben Morton is a former state director of the West Australian Liberals, so he knows a thing or two about running election campaigns, and winning.

He was a key part of the WA Liberal party's success during his seven-year tenure, from 2008.

Mr Morton is closely aligned to Scott Morrison but has denied reports he has been canvassing numbers for the federal Treasurer, should he choose to run for the party leadership.

Key backbencher: Tony Pasin

Since his election in 2013, South Australian backbencher Tony Pasin has been an outspoken conservative member of the Liberal party.

He has also been one of the key players doing the numbers for Peter Dutton.

Most recently, Mr Pasin publicly slammed the Education Minister Simon Birmingham — a moderate — over his handling of the Government's funding row with the Catholic schools sector.

Key backbencher: Jason Wood

Victorian backbencher Jason Wood is part of a young conservative movement showing there is a push for the Liberal party to move more to the right, from well below the Queensland border.

He was one of the first backbenchers to raise concerns about African gang violence and has argued that colleagues attempted to shut him down and stop talking about it.

His views on that matter are backed strongly by Peter Dutton, who has described Victoria as a "parallel universe" in a "fairyland" about gang violence.

Key backbencher: James Paterson

The youngest member of Parliament entered the political fray after finishing up at the conservative think-tank, the Institute of Public Affairs.

Victorian Senator James Paterson has been helping to call around his Liberal colleagues to help canvas support for Peter Dutton.

He also put his name to an alternative same sex marriage bill last year, which included so-called protections for religious freedoms.

But some Liberals suggest he has sniffed the breeze in his home state, where the conservative wing of the Liberal party has effectively taken over, setting the stage for some possible preselection challenges.

Key backbencher: Dean Smith

Dean Smith is one of the biggest surprises when it comes to Malcolm Turnbull's detractors.

The Prime Minister gave him the freedom to draft the successful same sex marriage bill last year, and cement his name in history.

But it was clearly not enough to keep the West Australian Senator on side in a leadership ballot.

Recently he has raised concerns about Australia's immigration intake and called for a policy to manage the growing population.

Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, liberals, turnbull-malcolm, australia

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