Cabinet ministers who have served as members of Mr Abbott's praetorian guard, including Defence Minister Kevin Andrews and Employment Minister Eric Abetz, would likely be cleared out as a Turnbull-led government looked to inject fresh talent into the ministry. Expected to move up the ladder: Kelly O'Dwyer. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Other senior ministers, including deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop and Education Minister Christopher Pyne, Trade Minister Andrew Robb and Health Minister Sussan Ley are expected to stay in their current roles if Mr Turnbull wins. Former WA Treasurer state treasurer Christian Porter, currently a parliamentary secretary, has also been mentioned as one who could be promoted in a Turnbull-led government. The promotion of Mr Morrison to be the government's chief economic salesman, in particular, is seen by Mr Turnbull's supporters as absolutely critical to resetting the government's economic narrative and restarting the reform agenda.

Mr Turnbull singled out the economic sales job of Mr Abbott when explaining the reasons for his challenge on Monday, declaring the Prime Minister had "not been capable of providing the economic confidence that business needs". The CPSU has called for Michaelia Cash and Malcolm Turnbull to rethink the government's bargaining policy. Credit:Andrew Meares "The big economic changes that we're living through here and around the world offer enormous challenges and enormous opportunities. And we need a different style of leadership. We need a style of leadership that explains those challenges and opportunities, explains the challenges and how to seize the opportunities." Mr Hockey hit back at Mr Turnbull late on Monday night and defended his record as Treasurer, declaring his former cabinet colleague had "made a number of claims about economic leadership that are completely unfounded. He has never said to me or to the cabinet that we are heading in the wrong economic direction. The disloyalty of some has been outrageous". Prime Minister Tony Abbott departs question time with Julie Bishop and Scott Morrison while Malcolm Turnbull remains on the frontbench. Credit:Andrew Meares

Mr Morrison, who successfully stopped the boats as immigration minister and who has performed well in the social services portfolio, is seen as the man to help lead the government's case for economic reform. Liberal MP Wyatt Roy, who voted for Mr Turnbull, also singled out the government's inability to communicate the need for economic reform as one of the chief reasons he supported a leadership change. Christian Porter could be promoted under a Malcolm Turnbull-led government. "When you look at the reforms of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, and John Howard, they were very significant. They set up this country for the prosperity that it has today. We've had 25 years of uninterrupted economic growth because of those reforms. If we are going to continue to have those reforms, if we are going to continue to have rising living standards, we need to have effectively a new round of reforms," he said. Follow us on Twitter