PM deflects questions about more possible retirements, instead focusing on Labor’s ‘hit list’ of Liberals appointed to diplomatic posts

Scott Morrison insists his frontbench is a “very strong and stable team”, despite five ministers announcing their retirement in the past month.

Steve Ciobo and Christopher Pyne joined Kelly O’Dwyer, Nigel Scullion and Michael Keenan in announcing their forthcoming retirement from federal politics, with former foreign affairs minister and deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop another high-profile loss to the party.

Morrison could not say whether Craig Laundy, another former minister and moderate, would remain with the party, only saying “those matters will be addressed when we are in a position to do that”. Laundy’s seat of Reid is held on a margin of under 5%.

But despite the changes, just three months out from an election, Morrison said the Coalition team was strong, deflecting questions from possible future retirement announcements by criticising Labor for its “hit list” of Coalition-appointed diplomatic posts.

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The Sydney Morning Herald reported a Labor government would review the appointments of former attorney general George Brandis to London, former Liberal Western Australian premier Richard Court to Tokyo, former Liberal senator David Bushby to Chicago, as well as Joe Hockey’s role in Washington, and former Howard minister Peter McGauran to Houston.

The announcement of Patricia Forsythe, a former state Liberal MP and close friend of the foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, as Australia’s woman in New Zealand, has also raised Labor’s ire. The diplomatic posting is usually awarded to high-level foreign affairs career officers.

Morrison said that was a sign of Labor’s “arrogance”.

“What is is about Labor, when they are going about drawing up hit lists for who is about to get jobs, what are they going to do, start going over the gardeners list about who they think is acceptable?” he said from Sydney on Monday.

“I mean, so arrogant have they become, that they are already talking about the people they want to sack when they get into power.

“That seems to be the only thing that drives them. Getting hold of power, to wield it.

“Whether it is against small and family businesses with their higher taxes – who is next with Labor, that is the thing, they just want to get into power, to wield power, on behalf of, talking about mates, their union mates, and particularly their militant union mates like John Setka, these guys have become very arrogant.”

Holding tight to his “strong and stable team” line, despite the Coalition having three prime ministers, two deputy prime ministers, three different employment ministers, treasurers and education ministers, four separate human services and defence ministers and five social services ministers since it was elected in 2013, Morrison said Labor needed to make clear who would serve in its frontbench.

“I am still waiting to know, who is going to be their home affairs minister, who is going to be the Labor minister, if they are elected, who is responsible, for keeping our borders strong? Who is going to be the defence minister, because apparently Richard Marles might be the home affairs minister,” he said.

“In my team, you know who the defence minister is. You know who the foreign minister is, you know who the treasurer is, you know who the deputy prime minister is. It is a very clear and stable team. In Labor we don’t know who is running in these important positions and it is about time Bill Shorten ended the speculation around this. Tell us who is going to keep the borders secure Bill, because at the moment, you don’t seem to know and the Australian people don’t know.”

Both Morrison and Payne defended the decision to award Forsythe a top diplomatic posting as a sign of respect to New Zealand, with Morrison saying the appointment of “another female to a very prestigious post in our diplomatic service … just counters the things that are put about” about the Liberal party’s “women problem”.

“Seven women are now in the cabinet,” he said.

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“Linda Reynolds was sworn in on Saturday and there are seven women now in cabinet. That is the highest number of women ever in a federal cabinet in Australia.

“And that is something a Liberal-National government has delivered and it is something that I would certainly continue should we be successful on the other side of the election.”

Asked if that means he was considering quotas, Morrison said he was not.

“No, I am saying I have no problem filling seven slots for women in my cabinet and potentially more because I have so many great women to choose from.”

Morrison pointed to “19 female members selected as candidates or coming into Senate positions” for the Liberal party at the upcoming election.

“So I’m positive about the direction we’re taking,” he said.

“We’ve got further distance to go but I think my team understand my commitment to this issue.

“But at the end of the day it’s all about results and I’m known for getting results.”