‘I don’t bear any grudge’: Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull calls for unity after surviving leadership vote
His challenger, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, resigns from cabinet as lawmakers support Turnbull by a 48-to-35 vote
Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called on his government to unite behind him after he survived an internal leadership challenge on Tuesday, defeating a senior minister in a ballot that is unlikely to settle questions about whether he is the right person to lead the party into elections due next year.
His challenger, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, resigned from the cabinet after the vote but the amount of support he gained surprised many commentators. Turnbull ruled out any retribution against ministers suspected of supporting Dutton and said he had invited Dutton to remain in the senior security portfolio.
“I don’t bear any grudge against Peter Dutton for having stood up and challenged me today,” Turnbull told a news conference with his deputy party leader Julie Bishop, who retained her position unopposed in Tuesday’s ballot.
“We know that disunity undermines the ability of any government to get its job done and unity is absolutely critical,” Turnbull said.
Turnbull called the vote at a meeting of conservative Liberal Party lawmakers as speculation mounted about his support within the government, which is gearing up for a general election due early next year. The government has trailed the opposition Labor Party in most opinion polls since the last election in 2016.