MALCOLM Turnbull reportedly offered Peter Dutton the position of deputy Liberal leader in a last-ditch attempt to stop a leadership challenge.

In the dying days of his prime ministership, Mr Turnbull went to Mr Dutton and offered him the deputy role, believing this would keep him from bringing on a leadership spill, according to The Courier-Mail.

The role had been occupied by Julie Bishop for almost a decade, suggesting he was willing to call for a party room vote to replace her with Mr Dutton.

The Home Affairs Minister turned down the offer because he believed he had the backing of Liberal MPs to seize Mr Turnbull’s job.

Mr Turnbull was forced to stand down last month after days of leadership turmoil and Scott Morrison went on to beat both Mr Dutton and Ms Bishop in the final party room vote.

Mr Morrison dismissed The Courier-Mail’s report morning, saying Australians couldn’t care less.

“I’ve been elected to lead the Liberal Party which means that I am leading the country as Prime Minister, that’s what matters,” he told Sunrise. “All the rest of it, people can write books about it if they want, they can tweet about it, they can put it on Facebook, they can even do something on Instagram if they like.

“I’m focusing on what matters and what happens and what Australians need me to focus on.”

Deputy leaders are voted on by the whole party room, rather than selected by the Prime Minister, but Mr Turnbull could have brought on a vote to oust Ms Bishop if he believed Mr Dutton would have had the numbers.

media_camera Malcolm Turnbull reportedly offered Peter Dutton the role of Deputy Liberal leader to save himself.

Meanwhile, Fairfax Media has cited Liberal Party polling that warned Cabinet ministers against the leadership spill.

The internal report said the Liberal National Party by-election loss in the Queensland seat of Longman shouldn’t be treated as a test case for a federal election. Instead of Mr Turnbull costing the coalition votes, the report said the scandal over LNP candidate Trevor Ruthenberg and his military medals had damaged the government’s chances.

During the campaign for Longman, Mr Ruthenberg, a former minister in the Newman state government, had to apologise for wrongly claiming he earned a prestigious Australian Service Medal. In fact, he only had an Australian Defence Medal awarded for service of more than four years.

The Longman result was used as justification for a leadership spill by Mr Dutton’s backers, who were concerned about a general election wipe-out in Queensland.

BISHOP TIPPED FOR GOVERNOR-GENERAL ROLE

Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove will retire when his five-year term finishes in March, saying the job “deserves and ­demands new vigour”, The Australianreports.

At the same time, there is a growing belief Ms Bishop will not contest the next election.

Ms Bishop’s decision to move to the backbench following the leadership spill fuelled rumours she was gunning for the Governor-General position.

“Bishop’s stellar career also has ended, but it is unlikely this is the last we will hear or see of her,’’ wrote The Australian’s Niki Savva last month. “There are already whispers that with Sir Peter Cosgrove notching up five years as Governor-General in March, she would make a fine replacement.”

media_camera There is a growing belief Ms Bishop will not contest the next election.

Australian Republic Movement director Michael Cooney said the next governor-general should be at least in part chosen by the public.

“Things need to change in Parliament House and it starts with the attitudes and behaviours of the most senior people,” Mr Cooney said.

“Choosing the governor-general should never again be a personal pick of the prime minister.”

At the same time, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten urged Scott Morrison to wait for the dust to settle.

In his congratulatory letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Shorten urged him to delay the next appointment for the next elected government.

“As you would know, General Cosgrove’s commission is due to end in March of 2019,” Mr Shorten’s congratulatory letter reads.

“Given that a general election must be held in or before May of next year, an extension to his term would allow an incoming Prime Minister to nominate to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II an appropriate successor and new Governor-General following the next election.

“Such an extension is within convention and would be supported by the Opposition. I look forward to your prompt response on this matter.”

Originally published as Turnbull’s plan to throw Bishop under bus