Peter Dutton may have orchestrated another tilt at the Prime Ministership but his first full day as leader-in-waiting did not go entirely to plan.

The member for Dickson, who spent Wednesday telling everyone who would listen that he’s busily working the phones to secure the numbers for a second strike at the prime ministership, is suddenly facing the awkward reality that not everyone is falling to their knees in gratitude.

He is being reminded, for instance, that rather a lot of questions remain unanswered about his role in granting expeditious visas to two young unnamed au pairs who arrived in Australia as tourists.

In Parliament, the Labor opposition merrily invited the current Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to refer the would-be prime minister, the aforementioned Dutton, to the High Court for judgment on whether he was even eligible to continue sitting in Parliament.