PETER Dutton is only one signature away from securing a leadership spill to oust Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, according to a Liberal MP.

Mr Dutton’s supporters say he now has more than 40 signatures in his favour in a petition to Mr Turnbull to call a spill that’s been circling Parliament House since last night.

Speaking to reporters outside parliament earlier this evening, Liberal member for McPherson Karen Andrews said she understands only “one more signature is required”.

Ms Andrews, who signed the petition herself, noted that she wasn’t necessarily going to back Mr Dutton.

“But I will not stand by after having Parliament adjourned today to have this matter not concluded tomorrow. I understand that only one more signature is required,” she said.

The former home affairs minister needs 43 signatures for Mr Turnbull to call a party room meeting.

But the Prime Minister has left Parliament House for the day — and it’s understood he hasn’t received a petition.

Mr Turnbull today said he would call a special party room meeting at midday tomorrow if a letter requesting one, signed by a majority of MPs, was presented to him. The embattled leader said he would move a spill motion, and if it was carried, that he wouldn’t stand as a candidate for the top job, and resign both as prime minister and as a member of parliament.

Treasurer Scott Morrison and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop are set to run for the top job.

EXCLUSIVE: Number crunchers tell me early count has Scott Morrison ahead of Peter Dutton and Julie Bishop as next prime minister. #7News — Mark Riley (@Riley7News) August 23, 2018

Earlier this afternoon, Sky News’ Laura Jayes reported at least 40 MPs had signed the letter, and an extra eight members supported the petition, but didn’t want to be on a public list arguing the ballot is supposed to be secret.

BREAKING Dutton camp says they have 40 names on the petition. I’m told 8 more supporters support the petition but don’t want to be on a public list. Their argument is this is supposed to be a secret ballot. @SkyNewsAust — Laura Jayes (@ljayes) August 23, 2018

It follows reports Mr Dutton’s camp pulled the petition from circulation for the time being, in the hopes that the government’s chief whip Nola Marino would call the meeting anyway.

Ms Marino has said she will not be asking for one.

Liberal MP Tim Wilson described the petition as a “suicide note” for the party.

For clarity: I have not been bullied or intimidated into signing the suicide note to call a leadership spill. People have politely asked me, and I declined. The people of Australia and Goldstein have been very clear what they want, and I hear them. #LiberalAndProudOfIt — Tim Wilson MP (@TimWilsonMP) August 23, 2018

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has largely remained quiet amid the leadership chaos, but other Labor members have lashed out at the government.



“They’re not conservatives, they are vandals,” said deputy opposition leader Tanya Plibersek in parliament. “Today is the funeral of the modern Liberal Party.”

In a similarly explosive speech, Penny Wong said: “People will remember the famous Menzies speech about the forgotten Australians that the Liberals always get doe-eyed about.

“You know what? You’ve forgotten every Australian but yourselves. You’ve forgotten everyone but yourselves.”

‘HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME’

It’s not just Labor members who are blasting the Turnbull government over the leadership dilemma.

The NT News has just shared its powerful front page for tomorrow’s paper, with the headline ‘HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME’.

“Territorians, like all Australians, have had enough of politicians putting their own self-interest ahead of the people they are elected to represent,” the paper says. “The events in Canberra this week are nothing short of disgraceful.

“By lunchtime today, we will likely have a new Prime Minister as 85 feuding Coalition MPs have the right to overrule the wishes of millions of Australians.”

The front page echoes a powerful speech made by Greens leader Richard Di Natale earlier this afternoon, in which he pointed to Australians who couldn’t pay their medical bills, the homeless population, young people priced our of education and women who fear going home “because one woman a week is killed at the hands of a violent partner”.

“And what have we got? We’ve got this spectacle. This disgrace. You should be ashamed of yourselves,” he shouted across the Senate floor.

“You are so focused on yourselves that you have forgotten what the country has elected you to do, and that is to govern for them, not for you,” he said.

“You don’t deserve to govern. You deserve to be turfed out. That’s what you deserve.”

JULIE BISHOP POISED TO RUN FOR PM

The Liberal leadership is shaping up to be a three-way contest with Julie Bishop poised to make a run for the top job.

A senior Liberal source told news.com.au that the Foreign Minister would throw her hat in the ring in the event of a leadership spill tomorrow.

In her pitch to colleagues, she told them she won’t be “another man’s deputy”, The Australian reported.

There has been growing pressure on Ms Bishop to declare herself as the third candidate to become prime minister, with members of cabinet “strongly” encouraging her to run, 7 News reports.

READ MORE: Why is Julie Bishop overlooked as a potential prime minister?

The other candidates vying to replace Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull are former home affairs minister Peter Dutton and Treasurer Scott Morrison.

With things in Canberra moving a mile a minute, it’s yet to be seen whether Ms Bishop will definitely follow through, but a spokesperson for her office told 7 News she was “considering her options”.

News.com.au contacted the Foreign Minister’s office for comment, but they could not be reached this afternoon.

This in itself marks a shift from her previous position. When asked about her leadership ambitions in recent media interviews, Ms Bishop emphasised her loyalty to Mr Turnbull.

Two nights ago, 7.30’sLeigh Sales asked the Foreign Minister whether she’d run if it meant saving the party.

“That’s such a hypothetical. I mean, it’s got so many hypotheticals built into it,” Ms Bishop responded after being re-elected to her position that day. “No. I’ve just been elected as deputy leader of the party. I don’t take that for granted, and I will do my very best to act out that role as deputy in support of the Coalition delivering good government for the Australian people.”

Sales pointed out the polls suggested she’d be their only chance at survival.

“Peter Dutton made it clear in April that he wanted to be prime minister,” Ms Bishop replied. “I think that was a signal to colleagues that he wants the job. I’ve got a job. I’m getting on with my job of delivering good government for the people of Australia, and supporting the Turnbull government in doing that.”

A News Corp Australia online poll showed Ms Bishop was the preferred leader for the party among readers with 34 per cent of votes, followed by Mr Turnbull at 30 per cent, Tony Abbott at 17 per cent Peter Dutton at 10 per cent.

But despite her popularity with the public, the path to the leadership in the party wouldn’t be easy.

In an earlier piece for news.com.au, Chris Urquhart noted that Ms Bishop’s moderate position, questioning of her loyalty and being based in Western Australia — when the marginal seats need to be won on the other side of the country — were major hurdles for her.

There are also reports that Tony Abbott will stand in tomorrow’s ballot.

According to Herald Sun reporter Rob Harris, Liberal MPs said he had “used Dutton all along”.

Many MPs believe Tony Abbott will stand in any ballot tomorrow. They say he's used Dutton all along. — rob harris (@rharris334) August 23, 2018

But according to Sky News, Mr Abbott has said he will not be running.

Julia Gillard has also weighed into the leadership crisis, saying she could “understand why people would want to go and live in New Zealand given the leadership of the current prime minister”.

Speaking at RMIT University, she declined to comment on the looming federal election and said her only advice for Mr Dutton and other challengers was to “drink a lot of water” and “make sure you eat some veggies and get some sunlight”.

TURNBULL TO RESIGN IF SPILL MOTION TAKES PLACE

Mr Turnbull has revealed he will resign as Prime Minister tomorrow if a spill motion is carried against him.

“I will treat that as a vote of no confidence and I will not stand as a candidate in the ballot,” he said.

Mr Turnbull told reporters this afternoon he was waiting for a letter with the signatures of the majority of the Liberal Party to call a meeting on the prime ministership challenge.

He said once he received that — if it existed — he would call a meeting at noon tomorrow.

Former Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton needs 43 signatures for Mr Turnbull to call a party room meeting and there are reports that number has quickly climbed over the past 24 hours.

Mr Turnbull also questioned Mr Dutton’s eligibility to sit in Parliament when he fronted the media at Parliament House at 1pm today after a tense morning and a mass exodus of 13 ministers.

“The reality is that a minority in the party room, supported by others outside the Parliament, have sought to bully and intimidate others into making this change of leadership that they’re seeking,” he said.

“It is described by many people … as a form of madness, and it is remarkable we’re at this point where only a month ago we were being avid readers of polls, and we were just little bit behind Labor.”

Mr Turnbull said the public would be “crying out” for an election because Australians would be “rightly appalled” by what they were witnessing in Parliament this week.

When questioned if he would ask his supporters to back Treasurer Scott Morrison for the job if a spill was carried, Mr Turnbull refused to answer, but said he would not give in to bullies.

“I mean, politics is a tough business,” he said.

“You have got to judge the political actions by their outcomes. I think what we’re witnessing — what we have witnessed at the moment is a very deliberate effort to pull the Liberal Party further to the right.

“What began as a minority has, by a process of intimidation, persuaded people that the only way to stop the insurgency is to give in to it.

“I do not believe in that. I have never done that. I have never given in to bullies, but you can imagine the pressure it’s put people under.”

Mr Turnbull said he had sought advice from the Solicitor-General on the eligibility of Mr Dutton to sit in Parliament and expected to receive that first thing tomorrow morning.

“(If a spill motion) is carried and there is a new leader of the Liberal Party, that person will have to obviously satisfy the Governor-General that they can command a majority on the floor of the House of Representatives,” he said.

“In the case of Mr Dutton, I think he’ll have to establish that he is eligible to sit in the Parliament.

“I don’t want to elaborate on this anymore than I need to, but this issue of eligibility is critically important. You can imagine the consequences of having a Prime Minister whose actions and decisions are questionable because of the issue of eligibility. Are they validly a minister at all?”

That eligibility centres on claims Mr Dutton may have breached the Constitution and been ineligible to sit because of his interests in two childcare centres his wife operates and the Government subsidies they receive.

HOW THE MASS EXODUS STARTED

Mr Turnbull’s prime ministership was effectively over earlier today after a mass exodus of his ministers and a new challenger in Mr Morrison putting his hand up for the top job.

It is understood the Treasurer will run against Mr Dutton for the Liberal leadership, with Mr Turnbull’s announcement a vote could happen tomorrow giving Mr Morrison more time to get the votes he needs.

The House of Representatives has been adjourned until September 10, meaning there will be no question time this afternoon.

In brutal first blows for Mr Turnbull this morning, the first ministers to go were Mathias Cormann, Mitch Fifield and Michaelia Cash, who fronted cameras to announce their resignations and told Mr Turnbull he should call another meeting to resolve the leadership question.

There were reports Health Minister Greg Hunt could stand as Mr Dutton’s deputy in the leadership ballot.

Mr Hunt and fellow ministers Alan Tudge, Angus Taylor, Michael Keenan and Steven Ciobo then confirmed their resignations, signalling the final further nails in the coffin.

Earlier, ministers Michael Sukkar and Zed Seselja resigned, with Assistant to the Prime Minister James McGrath walking out the night before.

Mr Sukkar and Mr Seselja refused Mr Turnbull’s offer to remain as ministers despite voting for Mr Dutton in Tuesday’s spill.

Mr Cormann said Mr Turnbull offered his resignation but Mr Turnbull declined to accept it.

“It’s with great sadness and a heavy heart that we went to see the Prime Minister yesterday afternoon to advise him that in our judgment he no longer enjoyed the support of the majority of members in the Liberal Party party room and that it was in the best interests of the Liberal Party to help manage an orderly transition to a new leader,” said the Finance Minister.

“The reason we came to that view is because of the number of colleagues who came forward, who supported Malcolm in the leadership ballot on Tuesday, who indicated to us that they had changed their position.”

This morning I spoke with the Prime Minister and tendered my resignation pic.twitter.com/mELOY3SASj — Greg Hunt (@GregHuntMP) August 23, 2018

The trio met with Mr Turnbull earlier this morning to discuss the untenable situation.

“We are very conscious of the seriousness of the decision that we’ve made,” he said.

“We didn’t take this decision lightly. Personally, I know that my colleagues also have anguished over this for some time.”

Mr Cormann said the decision came after a number of colleagues, including five cabinet ministers who supported Mr Turnbull on Tuesday, indicated there needed to be a change in leadership of the party.

The ministers all asked that the matter be resolved swiftly because they could not allow the situation to continue as it had.

“I became aware yesterday that it was very clear that the Prime Minister no longer, in my opinion, had the confidence of the party room,” Ms Cash said.

The move meant Mr Turnbull lost his two most senior representatives in the Senate.

Mr Cormann said he believed challenger Mr Dutton was the best person to lead the party to the next election.

DUTTON MOUNTS SECOND CHALLENGE TO TURNBULL

Earlier this morning, Mr Dutton said he had the numbers to roll Mr Turnbull as prime minister.

That statement came after he asked Mr Turnbull to call a party room meeting where he would challenge him for the top job.

Mr Cormann switching to Mr Dutton’s camp was key in the challenge, labelled “the death knell” for Mr Turnbull.

“I don’t think Peter Dutton would be doing this unless he had Mathias Cormann,” Sky News political reporter Laura Jayes said.

“This is a big, risky move for Peter Dutton.”

Mr Dutton tweeted his intentions this morning, but many speculated he did not have the required 43 signatures to get Mr Turnbull to call the meeting.

Sky News earlier reported Mr Dutton only had signatures of support from 25 MPs.

But Mr Dutton briefly told reporters during a walk through Parliament this morning that he was confident he had the numbers.

“I wouldn’t have contacted the PM if I didn’t believe we have the majority support,” he said in a brief statement.

A few minutes ago I spoke with Malcolm Turnbull to advise him I believed the majority of the party room no longer supported his leadership. Accordingly, I asked him to convene a party room meeting at which I would challenge for the leadership of the Parliamentary Liberal Party. — Peter Dutton (@PeterDutton_MP) August 22, 2018

Earlier Mr Dutton address the media, recapping what he had already tweeted about 7.45am.

“I just wanted to make a couple of brief remarks and then I’m going to address the media later on,” Mr Dutton said.

“As I put out, by way of statement earlier, earlier this morning I called the Prime Minister to advise him that it was my judgment that the majority of the party room no longer supported his leadership.

“As such, I asked him to convene a meeting of the Liberal Party at which I would challenge for the leadership of the parliamentary Liberal Party.”

MPs have reportedly been demanding Mr Dutton to present the petition if he has it, however the ballot itself is supposed to be secret.

One Liberal MP has reportedly told the Australian Financial Review that the Whip’s office has received four complaints from female MPs saying they felt intimidated when asked to sign the petition, which they refused to do.

Liberal MP Sarah Henderson told Melbourne radio this morning that she was offered a ministry position in exchange for switching to Mr Dutton’s side.

“To be rewarded for an act of treachery would be a terrible thing,” she said.

HAVE TURNBULL’S SUPPORTERS SWITCHED?

Mr Turnbull’s camp reportedly remains confident he still has the numbers with one of his key backers, Trent Zimmerman, saying he did not know anyone who had switched to Mr Dutton’s side since Tuesday.

He said some of the cabinet ministers who offered their resignations had only since reaffirmed their loyalty to Mr Turnbull.

“Since Tuesday we’ve obviously also seen a strong statement of support from those cabinet ministers that voted for Peter Dutton on Tuesday,” he told The Guardian.

Deputy leader Ms Bishop also said she was not aware anyone had changed their votes.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, one of Mr Turnbull’s backers, told the ABC Mr Dutton had not followed the right process.

“As much as I love Peter Dutton, just because he rings the Prime Minister and says I think I’ve got the numbers, you have to have a party meeting, is not the way you run a government or a political party,” he said.

He said if the camp trying to change the numbers wants a meeting they should have the required 43 signatures.

Mr Pyne said Mr Dutton’s side had been claiming all week the numbers which had proved to be untrue.

“I think my colleagues are getting thoroughly jaded with the lies that are being spread through the building in an attempt to stampede the Liberal parliamentary party,” he said.

Mr Pyne said he was “certain” Mr Turnbull still had the majority of the support of the party room.

NIGHT OF TURMOIL

The Liberals’ leadership uncertainty entered its third day after a shambolic night.

MPs linked to Mr Dutton attempted to launch a petition forcing Mr Turnbull into a late night showdown.

The much-discussed petition failed to come out and force a Liberal leadership vote.

Mr Dutton revealed he was “working the phones” to win the prime ministership.

His letter was circulated to MPs at 6.30pm on Wednesday but by 8pm, a spokesman for the Government’s chief whip Nola Marino ruled out the possibility of a party room meeting for the night.

It was a fizzer which only managed to antagonise some Liberals.

A furious senior Turnbull supporter told The Daily Telegraph Mr Dutton’s side had spread “lying propaganda” in an effort to pressure their colleagues into a vote, including rumours key minister Mr Cormann had flipped.

Meanwhile, there are serious questions as to whether Mr Dutton, the former home affairs minister, can sit in Parliament, let alone become Prime Minister.

Labor has produced an opinion from Brett Walker SC to the effect Mr Dutton is ineligible to sit in Parliament because he has breached a section of the Constitution.

The specific part of S44 prevents MPs from having a direct or indirect pecuniary interest related to a Commonwealth public servant.

Mr Dutton’s wife has child care business which benefits from Commonwealth subsidies. Mr Dutton has said his own legal advice is there has been no breach.

But Attorney-General Christian Porter has referred the matter to the Solicitor-General.

A spokesperson for Mr Dutton told Sky News he has received advice from David Bennett QC — a former Solicitor General — that he “100 per cent has no s44 problem”.