Analysis of the polls shows the deposing of Malcolm Turnbull made absolutely no electoral sense.
Articles on Liberal leadership spill
Displaying 21 - 40 of 92 articles
The new deputy is the Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, 47, from Victoria, who won overwhelmingly, from fellow Victorian Greg Hunt and Queenslander Steve Ciobo.
Morrison has proved to be conservative on social policy, but wedded to a neo-liberal economic agenda.
Turnbull brought a Menzian style to his leadership, but the world has changed quite a bit since Robert Menzies.
The Solicitor-General finds Dutton to be “not incapable” of sitting in parliament after questions were raised about his eligibility through section 44 of the Constitution.
Our revolving door prime ministers are the result of the politicians being too responsive to what we think, and there being too few of them.
Whether we end up with Prime Minister Turnbull, Dutton, Morrison or Bishop – it will not be sweetness and light among those who find themselves at the “out-group” when the dust begins to settle.
The Liberals who want to tear down Malcolm Turnbull claim they are in a battle for the heart and soul of the party - but where is this heart and soul, and how strong is it?
Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership appears over, with senior ministers deserting him in favour of challenger Peter Dutton.
In staying hostage to this right-wing lunge, rather than fighting to move it back to the mainstream, Turnbull erased his moderate face, destroying his only utility – electoral utility – to the Liberals.
Labor has managed more cohesion in recent years because its left and right wings have shifted to common ground - partly through its factions.
Peter Dutton has a solid base on which to work to become Liberal leader. That’s the way it usually goes- wound the first time, kill the second.
The crowding of the centre-right is having profound consequences for Australian politics, not just Turnbull’s troubled time as prime minister.
The prime minister has survived a challenge from the conservative wing of his party- but the deep divisions remain.
Our penchant for overturning political leaders didn’t appear overnight. But it has been intensified through constant polls and, in the Liberals’ case, the fact that the party allows it.
If the next few days go quietly, Turnbull will live now from poll to poll, with enemies circling like crows over a weakened animal.
It is possible the home affairs minister is in breach of Section 44(v) of the Constitution – and if the High Court were to find him so, it would cause yet another headache for the government.
After a week of infighting, it’s time for the prime minister to press the party room into taking a decisive stand.
With fringe right parties feasting on the margins of conservative political discontent in Australia, deeper questions are being asked about whether the Liberal Party itself is at risk.
In leadership contests in particular, the media’s role is often markedly different from the competition between parties.
Top contributors
-
Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
-
Election Analyst (Psephologist) at The Conversation; and Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne
-
Senior Project Manager, Murdoch University
-
PhD Candidate, The University of Western Australia
-
Senior Lecturer, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Deakin University
-
Tony Walker AM is a Friend of The Conversation.
Director, La Trobe University
-
Professor Emerita in Constitutional Law, University of Sydney
-
Associate Professor, Politics and Public Policy, Flinders University
-
Associate Professor in Politics, Murdoch University
-
Professor of History and Politics, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong
-
Honorary Professorial Fellow, Melbourne CSHE, The University of Melbourne
-
Professor, Canberra School of Government, University of Canberra
-
Director, Vice-Chancellor's Centre of Public Ideas (CoPI) and Donald Horne Professor of History and Public Ideas, University of Canberra
-
The University of Queensland
-
Professor, Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University