JULIE Bishop’s resignation as Foreign Affairs Minister has been followed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s announcement of his new cabinet.
Former Defence Minister Senator Marise Payne will take over from Ms Bishop.
Peter Dutton will continue as Home Affairs minister and Mathias Cormann will stay as Finance Minister, with Christopher Pyne taking on the defence portfolio.
A key role as Energy Minister, which the PM described as the “minister for getting electricity prices down” is Angus Taylor.
Greg Hunt will hold the health portfolio and Western Australian MP Melissa Price will take over as Environment Minister from the new Treasurer.
Ms Price, 54, had been deputy to Josh Frydenberg in that portfolio since last December.
Dan Tehan will be Education Minister, Kelly O’Dwyer takes on Jobs and Industrial Relations but keep the ministry for women portfolio.
Prime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP unveils his new Ministry: #auspol @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/PWL3US5PGS
— Brett Mason (@BrettMasonNews) August 26, 2018
The new minister for Trade, Tourism and Development is Simon Birmingham.
Mr Morrison said David Coleman will be assisting Mr Dutton in the Home Affairs portfolio by becoming Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs.
Mitch Fifield will continue as Minister for Communication and the Arts., and Alan Tudge will be Minister for Cities, Urban Infrastructure and Population.
National Party leader Michael McCormack is the deputy prime minister and holds the portfolio Insfrastructure, Transport and Regional Development.
The new ministry — which is notable for an absence of former PM Tony Abbott — will be sworn in on Tuesday.
Mr Morrison paid tribute to Julie Bishop for her work in foreign affairs.
Ms Bishop resigned after a leaked WhatsApp thread revealed MPs were actively encouraging colleagues not to vote for her in Friday’s leadership ballot.
Ms Bishop said in a statement this afternoon that she will remain on the back bench “as a strong voice for Western Australia”.
Announcing her resignation from cabinet, Ms Bishop said she had made no decisions as to whether she would remain in parliament following the next election.
Ousted prime minister Malcolm Turnbull tweeted about his former deputy, referring to her as “Australia’s finest Foreign Minister” and a role model for women.
Today we have lost Australia’s finest Foreign Minister @JulieBishopMP I thank Julie for her loyalty and friendship over many years but especially as my Deputy. She has been and remains an inspiring role model for women here and around the world.
— Malcolm Turnbull (@TurnbullMalcolm) August 26, 2018
Labor’s Penny Wong also paid tribute to Ms Bishop for her “trailblazing role as the first Australian woman to be Minister for Foreign Affairs”.
“For five years she has dedicated her life to our nation with a tireless work ethic and exhausting travel schedule,” she wrote.
“I wish Julie and her partner David all the best in whatever opportunities open up for them in this next phase of their lives.”
— Malcolm Farr (@farrm51) August 26, 2018
Another, lesser-known MP also gave his resignation from the ministry ahead of Mr Morrison announcing his new cabinet. Nationals MP Keith Pitt resigned as assistant minister to the Deputy Prime Minister giving his thanks to the Coalition’s leadership “for the opportunities I have been provided.”
Mr Morrison is expected to announce his new cabinet line-up this afternoon.
JOHN HOWARD ON MORRISON, TURNBULL AND ABBOTT
Former Prime Minister John Howard says that “time will tell” whether Scott Morrison succeeds as Prime Minister but that Morrison “got off to a good start”.
He said that Mr Morrison’s inaugural press conference as PM was “superb” and that tackling issues such as the drought was what Australians wanted.
Mr Howard said he thought the new PM could win and that Bill Shorten’s Labour Party was “far more left wing, fare more union-dominated than it has been for 30 years”.
“More than [under former PM Bob] Hawke who never gave me the impression he was pushed about by the unions.
“I think the public wants the Liberal Party to focus on what is important … the job of being a very strong government.”
Mr Howard played down the disruption of the leadership spill and change of prime minister, saying political leaders had always been dumped difficult the party thought “it will gain political advantage”.
He said that Tony Abbott “has remained unreconciled clearly to his removal”
“He argues both publicly and privately …’I got the Liberal Party into power with a 30 odd seat majority and the person who replaced me almost lost the next election’.”
Mr Howard said he had said in the past that Mr Abbott should be in Federal Cabinet, but would not say if he should be in Mr Morrison’s new cabinet.
He also said he felt for deposed prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.
“I spoke to him yesterday,” Mr Howard said.
“I feel for him and his family.
“It’s a difficult time and I wish him well.”
He said that there was “personal revenge and an element of hostility in all of it”.
On immigration policy, Mr Howard said migrants should be accepted from “the four corners of the world” including Muslim countries.
But he said for the moment, “I think there is a case for looking at a smaller volume for a period of time”.
He also said that politicians and leaders had a duty to get on with all kinds of media outlets and maintain relationships with them.
WHATSAPP LEAK EXPOSES BISHOP BETRAYAL
The shock move follows Ms Bishop receiving only 11 votes from her Liberal Party colleagues when she up her hand to become prime minister on Friday, and a damning leak that could explain why.
A WhatsApp thread between senior Liberal MPs, broadcast on ABC’s Insiders, showed Ms Bishop was a victim of cruel tactics.
The messages appear to show politicians were encouraged not to vote for Ms Bishop in the party room ballot even if they wanted to.
Leaked screenshots from the group titled “friends for stability” allege Mathias Cormann, whose support of Peter Dutton was pivotal in securing the leadership spill, had secured votes for Ms Bishop in order to keep Scott Morrison out of the race.
But the conversation between Morrison supporters shows politicians were encouraged to vote for Mr Morrison over Ms Bishop in the first round.
“Cormann rumoured to be putting some WA voted behind Julie Bishop in round 1,” a message purporting to be from Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher broadcast on Insiders read.
“Be aware that this is a ruse trying to get her ahead of Morrison so he drops out and his votes to Dutton.
“Despite our hearts tugging us to Julie we need to vote with our heads for Scott in round one.”
Participants in the thread expressed some concern for the Foreign Minister, with one suggesting “Someone should tell Julie”.
A message apparently sent by Christopher Pyne read: “I have.”
“Very respectfully,” he added.
Ms Bishop was knocked out in the first round of voting in what was a three-way battle for the leadership between her, Mr Morrison and Mr Dutton.
She received only 11 votes in the first round, including from ousted prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. None of the votes came from West Australians.
Insiders host Barrie Cassidy, who revealed the messages, said Ms Bishop was “entitled to be embarrassed and angry”.
“In the end, she was a victim of tactics and I suppose that helps to explain why she’s less than impressed with her colleagues,” he said.
Education Minister Simon Birmingham, whose name was on the WhatsApp thread, told Cassidy Ms Bishop was “the most significant woman in the history of the Liberal Party”.
“We would love to see Julie continue, but that really is up to Julie,” he said. “We will all respect whatever decision she makes.”
On Friday, after the ballot, news.com.au journalist Shannon Molloy wrote Julie Bishop “should feel robbed”.
On Insiders, Cassidy said Ms Bishop was poised to quit the front bench.
“I think that I can say, that unless somebody is very persuasive in the next few hours, I think she’ll be calling a news conference and she will quit as Minister for Foreign Affairs,” he said.
Ms Bishop’s resignation announcement came shortly after the messages were broadcast this
BISHOP WEIGHS EXIT FROM POLITICS
Earlier, Ms Bishop said she was considering “all options” after the chaotic week in Canberra.
“I am going to consider all my options and I am going to focus on running (in the City to Surf),” she told the Sunday Times in Perth.
“Once I have considered my options I will make a statement.”
Ms Bishop, 62, also stood down as deputy leader of the Liberal party, reportedly telling colleagues before the vote she refused to be “another man’s deputy”.
It was yesterday reported the deputy Liberal leader of 11 years could be in the running to become Australia’s next Governor-General.
In his outgoing speech on Friday, ousted leader Malcolm Turnbull said Ms Bishop had been Australia’s “finest” foreign minister. According to the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Turnbull gave his vote to his loyal deputy in the first round of voting in the leadership spill after he withdrew from the race.
Mr Morrison said he had been “very supportive” of both the former prime minister and Ms Bishop, and is believed to be keen to keep her in the foreign minister portfolio.
But there are reports Ms Bishop be considering knocking back an offer to sit in the government’s new-look cabinet.
Josh Frydenberg was voted in by his colleagues and was given the treasury portfolio on Friday.
Mr Morrison has made no other appointments public yet, but has indicated Mr Dutton and former finance minister Mathias Cormann would be welcomed back. Senator Cormann’s decision to withdraw support for Mr Turnbull is widely regarded as the turning point which led to the second spill. Mr Morrison and the senator, who was also the government’s leader in the Senate and chief negotiator with the crossbench, were photographed at work on Saturday. Mr Dutton has pledged “my loyalty completely” to Mr Morrison and the new government.
“I’m determined to do whatever we can to win the next election,” Mr Dutton told The Sunday Mail.
“I believe we are in a stronger position to win the election with Scott Morrison as prime minister.”
Mr Frydenberg, Mr Morrison and Nationals leader Michael McCormack — whose party is entitled to five cabinet posts — will decide and announce the line-up ahead of an expected swearing-in early this week.
He’ll head out to regional Queensland later this week for a drought tour.
NEW PM ACKNOWLEDGES ‘DISGUST’
The leadership change that saw Scott Morrison installed as Prime Minister has been widely acknowledged as a move that’s served to bring public opinion of our politicians to a new low.
And the new Liberal leader has this morning acknowledged he has some comprehension of how the electorate is feeling.
Speaking on ABC radio, Mr Morrison admitted voters would be “disgusted”.
“There’s a lot of change this week. I know people would have been pretty miffed,” he said, adding it was “an understatement”.
“People would have been absolutely disgusted with it.”
Mr Morrison went on to say the sudden and messy had left the Australian public in a place that was no “where their heads should be at”.
“That’s where I’m going to get their heads,” he said.
Mr Morrison said he would travel to western Queensland to inspect drought-affected areas tomorrow, making the crisis his first focus as Prime Minister, and had not yet thought about moving his family into the Lodge.
In his first sit-down interview since seizing the leadership, Mr Morrison told the Sunday Telegraph his and new deputy leader Josh Frydenberg’s rise to the Liberal Party leadership had been “quite unique”.
“We have both stepped up to these roles having been very supportive of the Prime Minister and Julie (Bishop, the former deputy leader),” he said.
“We have crossed that bridge yesterday (Friday). It wasn’t a bridge we all necessarily wanted to cross at the start of the week.”
Mr Morrison said he would bring an “optimistic attitude” to the role.
DUTTON’S SUBTLE DIG AT TURNBULL
Peter Dutton has denied he’s a “wrecker” a day after losing the Liberal leadership battle, but he’s choosing his words carefully.
Seven News reporter Simon Love tracked Mr Dutton down in Brisbane on Saturday and asked him directly if he was responsible for taking down the former PM.
“Malcolm Turnbull yesterday was referring to some of the ‘wreckers’. Are you one of them?” Love asked.
“No,” Mr Dutton responded. “I’m very proud of the actions that we’ve taken.”
Then he took a stab at Mr Turnbull, saying “we were on our way to an annihilation” at the next election and, significantly, Australia now has a man that’s “honourable” and who “will do well for our country”.
Mr Turnbull’s outgoing speech on Friday referred to wreckers who had tried to undermine him and “if not bring down the Government, then bring down my prime ministership”.
“I was impressed by how many of my colleagues spoke or voted for loyalty above disloyalty, how the insurgents were not rewarded,” he said, moments after Mr Dutton had not been rewarded.
Mr Dutton told the ABC on Friday that he doesn’t regret his decision to run for PM “at all”.
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Julie Bishops quits cabinet after leaked WhatsApp thread exposes betrayal"
Post a Comment