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Scott Morrison addresses media for the first time since winning top job

BILL Shorten has praised Malcolm Turnbull in a generous statement.

The Labor leader noted that “politics is a brutal business” and described his political rival as a man who used the word “love” in his public remarks more than anyone else.

Mr Shorten lost the 2016 election to the outgoing prime minister but paid tribute to Mr Turnbull on the day he was forced to leave the job.

“For Malcolm, for Lucy, for their family and for his personal staff, who are as loyal and as close as family, this is a very hard day indeed,” Mr Shorten said in a statement today.

“For all our verbal conflict, for all the fierce words we’ve exchanged, I hope Malcolm knows that I have always respected him as a formidable opponent... as an advocate of great intellect and eloquence and as someone who came to parliament, relatively late in life, because he was driven by the desire to serve.

“Australian politics will always need people like that, on all sides.”

Mr Shorten said he would often speak at the same events as Mr Turnbull and noticed something small but significant.

“I don’t think any Australian prime minister has used the word ‘love’ more frequently in his public remarks,” Mr Shorten said.

“Anyone who listened to him speak could always hear his deep and profound love for his wife Lucy, for their children and grandchildren but also his abiding love for our country.”

Earlier, the Labor leader described the Liberal spill as the result of a “brutal campaign” to tear down Mr Turnbull and said the government would remain hopelessly divided.

Mr Shorten said there was a lack of leadership in Canberra as he accused the Liberal Party of not treating Mr Turnbull the way a prime minister deserved to be treated.

“What we have seen here is the very brutal conduct of a campaign to tear down the leader of the Liberal Party in a most cold and unfeeling way,” he told reporters in Sydney just before Treasurer Scott Morrison won the vote to become next prime minister.

“Changing leaders does not mean you can change division in the Liberal Party. You can change leaders but you can’t change division.”

Many commentators have said — whether jokingly or not — that Mr Shorten is the winner of the whole debacle in the Liberal party this week.

SCOMO’S MESSAGE: ‘WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE’

Pointing into the camera, Scott Morrison had one message for the public: “We are on your side.”

The incoming prime minister has addressed the media for the first time since his party voted him into the top job, appearing at a press conference alongside his new deputy Josh Frydenberg.

“There has been a lot of talk this week about whose side people are on in this building,” Mr Morrison told reporters. “And what Josh and I are here to tell you, as the new generation of Liberal leadership, is that we are on your side. That’s what matters.”

Mr Morrison acknowledged the Liberal party had been “bruised and battered this week”, but said Australians are a “resilient bunch”.

On outgoing Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, he said: “I have known Malcolm for a long time, as you know. He has been a dear friend. He has served his country in a noble, and professional way.

“Josh and I have watched and worked with him as he has led our cabinets and the achievements we have been proud to serve with him as a government, whether it is in the economy, whether it is in all the other areas that Malcolm has outlined today at his earlier press conference.”

Mr Morrison also thanked Julie Bishop and Peter Dutton, who also nominated for the leadership, noting that he “looks forward” to them playing a role in his government if they choose to.

He described Ms Bishop as a “rock star” and noted he had personally recommended Mr dutton for the job as Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.

When asked to explain — in his own words — why the party removed Mr Turnbull, Mr Morrison simply said: “We will provide the stability and the unity and the direction and the purpose that the Australian people expect of us as leaders, about party and those of our great nation.”

He noted that he “wishes Malcolm and his family well”, but said he was “relishing” his first electoral test as a leader.

Mr Morrison said his immediate priority would be the drought, without elaborating. He also briefly mentioned electricity prices, affordable healthcare and national security as priority areas for his government.

The speech copped a grilling on social media, with some users suggesting it wasn’t a great start for the new leader:

TURNBULL FRONTS THE MEDIA

Earlier this afternoon, outgoing prime minister Malcolm Turnbull fronted the media addressing the “insurgency” from a number of people in the party to bring down the government, or at least his prime ministership.

The speech marked Mr Turnbull’s first comments since losing the Liberal Party leadership to Scott Morrison, and his last as Prime Minister.

Mr Morrison is due to address the media soon.

“It was extraordinary,” Mr Turnbull said.

“It was described as madness by many, and I think it’s difficult to describe it in any other way. In the party room meeting today I was impressed by how many of my colleagues spoke or voted for loyalty above disloyalty.

“How the insurgents were not rewarded by electing Mr Dutton but instead my successor, who I wish the very best, of course, Scott Morrison, a very loyal and effective Treasurer.”

He said Australians would be “dumbstruck and so appalled” by the chaotic conduct of the last week.

“Many Australians will be shaking their head in disbelief at what’s been done,” he said.

“To imagine that a government would be rocked by this sort of disloyalty and deliberate disloyalty, deliberate destructive action.

“Peter Dutton, Tony Abbott and others who chose to deliberately attack the government from within, they did so because they wanted to bring the government, to bring my prime ministership down.

“If people are determined to wreck, they will continue to do so.”

Mr Turnbull said although it might surprise people he remained very optimistic and positive about the nation’s future.

“I want to thank the Australian people for the support they’ve given me and my Government over the last nearly three years,” he said.

“It has been such a privilege to be the leader of this great nation. I love Australia. I love Australians. We are the most successful multicultural society in the world, and I have always defended that and advanced that as one of our greatest assets.”

He said while it had been a challenging time as PM, he was very proud of his record.

Mr Morrison won the vote in the party room meeting 45 to 40 after days of tense meetings and panicked phone calls among party members as the country watched its government fall into disarray.

Mr Morrison will become Australia’s sixth prime minister in 11 years.

His deputy leader will be Environment and Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg who won the vote with an “overwhelming” vote.

A defeated Malcolm Turnbull stood down from the leadership following a vote of no confidence in his ability to lead the party to the next election after he called the long-awaited meeting to finalise the challenge for the top job that started on Tuesday.

Challenger Peter Dutton hoped he had the numbers to pull off the move he attempted to make earlier this week, gathering the 43 signatures he needed to force Mr Turnbull to call the meeting.

But those who signed the document sent their votes elsewhere in the secret ballot, with many who put their name to the paper understood to be supporters of Mr Turnbull’s.

Mr Morrison had pledged his support for Mr Turnbull all week.

Upon leaving the party room, Mr Dutton stopped to speak to waiting media and congratulate Mr Morrison.

“My course from here is to provide absolute loyalty to Scott Morrison to make sure we win the election,” he said.

Mr Dutton’s backer, former prime minister Tony Abbott, said they would now do their best to save the government.

“We’ve lost a prime minister but there is still a government to save,” Mr Abbott said. “That is what we will all try our best to do now.”

Julie Bishop alsowent head-to-head with the pair but was eliminated when she received the lowest vote from the party.

Earlier today Mr Dutton personally delivered the petition to Mr Turnbull which prompted him to stonewall until the last minute in calling the meeting.

Mr Turnbull tweeted this morning that he had asked the party whips to verify all 43 signatures before calling the meeting.

Ms Bishop and Mr Morrison had spent the past 24 hours hitting the phones to gather the support needed to pip Mr Dutton at the finish line.

Former health minister Greg Hunt, who this week resigned from cabinet, said Mr Morrison and Mr Frydenberg were the next generation of leadership and two incredible people with extraordinary capability and credibility.

“They’ll do a tremendous job,” he said.

“It is becoming an ultimate joke,” Sky News commentator Laura Jayes said.

The ballot followed Solicitor-General releasing advice on Mr Dutton’s eligibility to sit in Parliament.

He stated it was unlikely Mr Dutton would be disqualified however it was not possible to reach a definitive conclusion without more information.

Nasty swipes are circulating over the political “circus”, with Tony Abbott’s former chief of staff Peta Credlin labelling Ms Bishop “Turnbull in a skirt”.

Ms Credlin said Ms Bishop had no chance of winning the leadership and she would not be the circuit-breaker the conservatives wanted.

“She is Malcolm Turnbull in a skirt,” she told 2GB.

“It won’t change the polls.”

It is understood Queensland Liberal Warren Entsch provided the 43rd signature Mr Dutton needed to break the deadlock.

Mr Dutton was photographed at dinner last night with Senator Mathias Cormann, who resigned as finance minister yesterday after declaring the PM no longer had party support.

Senator Cormann said again today he believed Mr Dutton was the best candidate to take them to the next election.

“He’s best able to connect with hardworking, aspirational Australians,” he told Sky News.

“I believe he will be able to reconnect with the (John) Howard battlers. He knows what it takes to win marginal seats.”

Questions over Mr Dutton’s eligibility to sit in Parliament centred on his wife’s government-subsidised childcare business.

Mr Turnbull did not let Mr Dutton forget that during his stinging press conference yesterday.

“It’s important that before the party meeting is held, we have access to the advice of the Solicitor-General on the eligibility of Mr Dutton to sit in the Parliament,” he said.

“I cannot underline too much how important it is that anyone who seeks to be Prime Minister of Australia is eligible to be a member of Parliament because a minister, let alone a Prime Minister, who is not eligible to sit in the House is not capable of validly being a minister or exercising any of the powers of a minister.

“So you can understood how important this issue is.”

However, Mr Dutton was still confident and late last night released a second legal letter saying he was eligible to sit in Parliament.

The embattled Prime Minister said he would not stand as a candidate and would resign both as prime minister and as a member of Parliament if the leadership was spilled.

“I will treat that as a vote of no confidence,” said Mr Turnbull, who yesterday faced a mass exodus of ministers.

Mr Turnbull plunged his government and the country into chaos this week by refusing to back down from the top job, in an attempt to stop the challenge against him orchestrated by his rivals.

Public sentiment towards Australia’s leaders is at a low, with Greens leader Richard Di Natale tapping into the unhappiness when he told them: “Hang your heads in shame.”

Mr Turnbull’s public and humiliating failure, sparked when Mr Dutton sent the government into “madness”, has caused days of infighting among “bullies” and only paralysed the Parliament.

If Mr Turnbull does not survive the day, no prime minister will have lasted a full term since John Howard lost the 2007 election.

THREE-WAY CONTEST

Bill Shorten has long trailed Mr Turnbull in popularity, even as Labor soared in the polls, but he would be the nation’s preferred prime minister if Mr Dutton were Liberal leader, according to a Roy Morgan poll.

A ReachTEL poll found 55 per cent of voters would be less likely to vote Liberal if the former home affairs minister were in the top job.

Senator Cormann’s resignation yesterday was called “the death knell” for Mr Turnbull.

The ex-finance minister said he believed Mr Dutton was the best person to lead the Coalition to election victory, but when asked why, he ducked the question. “I’m not here to run a campaign for Peter Dutton,” he said.

Ms Bishop was reportedly working the phones overnight, pitching to her colleagues that she was the leader who could win the most seats for the party. The longtime second-in-command told MPs she won’t be “another man’s deputy”, according to The Australian.

The Foreign Minister’s partner David Panton told the Herald Sun at Myer’s runway show last night that she would win the contest. “You’ve heard it straight from the horse’s mouth — by tomorrow at lunchtime, Julie Bishop will definitely be Prime Minister,” he said.

Asked whether he would be “the first man”, he replied: “Just call me David.”

Ms Bishop had called more than a dozen MPs by 7pm yesterday canvassing support, Guardian Australia reported. But moderate Liberals said Mr Morrison so far had better numbers than the deputy Liberal leader.

Ms Bishop earlier promised loyalty to Mr Turnbull but has come under increased pressure from colleagues to run.

Mr Turnbull’s department reportedly attempted to order departments to cut off IT and phones in the offices of ministers who quit yesterday, according to The Australian.

The newspaper reported a source suggested it was intended to stop them from communicating but the move was against usual protocol.

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

That was up from a ReachTEL poll earlier this week that had Mr Turnbull at 53.5 per cent, Mr Abbott at 15.5 per cent, Mr Dutton at 12.5 per cent, Ms Bishop at 11.9 per cent and Mr Morrison at 6.6 per cent.

The latest Roy Morgan research also shows Ms Bishop’s easily the preferred PM against Mr Shorten.

And bookmarkers have Ms Bishop’s leading in the odds as Australia’s favourite.

Potential deputies include Josh Frydenberg and Steven Ciobo, with reports Greg Hunt could stand as Mr Dutton’s deputy. Mr Abbott denied reports he would stand.

Mr Turnbull refused to say whether he would ask his supporters to back Mr Morrison.

In a blistering news conference, the PM said Australians would be “rightly appalled” at events in Parliament and “crying out” for an election.

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

“It has been ­described by many people, including those who feel they cannot ­resist it, as a form of madness.”

“I have never given in to bullies, but you can imagine the pressure it’s put people under.”

‘YOU’VE FORGOTTEN EVERYONE BUT YOURSELVES’

Mr Shorten has largely remained quiet as the Liberals implode, but other Labor members 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.”

Penny Wong told the Liberals they had “forgotten every Australian but yourselves. You’ve forgotten everyone but yourselves.”

Nationals MP Darren Chester tweeted: “Australia. We owe you an apology. I’m sorry. You deserve better than many of the things our federal Parliament has served up to you for the past 10 years. Believe me: there’s a lot of good people on both sides of the chamber and we can do better. Don’t give up.”

Turnbull supporter Craig Laundy told Leigh Sales “modern politics is broken and it needs to be fixed”, while Liberal MP Tim Wilson called the petition a “suicide note” for the party.

His colleague Karen Andrews told reporters just one signature was needed, adding: “I will not stand by after having Parliament adjourned today to have this matter not concluded tomorrow.”

She said she would not necessarily back Mr Dutton.

ACT Senator Zed Seselja said there were more than 40 signatures, telling the ABC it would be “extraordinary and I would say untenable” to leave Canberra for a fortnight “without having resolved this issue in the party room.”

The NT News published a powerful front page with the headline “HANG YOUR HEADS IN SHAME”, calling events in Canberra “nothing short of disgraceful”.

It echoed Mr Di Natale’s speech yesterday, in which he called the instability a “spectacle” and a “disgrace”, when Australians were battling homelessness or struggling to afford medical bills or an education.

“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.

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

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

— with wires

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