Australia has its fourth prime minister in just over two years after Tony Abbott was defeated 54 to 44 by Malcolm Turnbull in an internal Liberal party vote.
Mr Turnbull resigned as communications minister on Monday afternoon and told Mr Abbott he was challenging him for leadership of the party. He led the party in opposition from 2008-2009 before being deposed by Mr Abbott.
In a late night media conference the new prime minister paid tribute to the man he had just replaced. “The burden of leadership is a very heavy one,” said Mr Turnbull. “The achievements of the government [Mr Abbot] led are formidable . . . I want to thank Tony very much indeed.”
Mr Turnbull said he was honoured by his elevation. “I’m very humbled by the great honour and responsibility that has been given to me today,” he said.
He alluded to Mr Abbott’s closed leadership style by saying things were going to change. “The culture of our leadership is going to be thoroughly consultative,” said Mr Turnbull.
Explaining the economic situation to people is going to be a priority, he said. “[We will be] seeking to persuade rather than seeking to lecture . . . To be a successful leader in 2015 you have to take people with you by respecting their intelligence.”
Challenge
When he announced his challenge at 4pm local time (7am Irish time) Mr Turnbull outlined how it had come to this. “There are few occasions that are entirely ideal for tough calls and tough decisions like this. The alternative if we were to wait and this issue, these problems were to roll on and on and on, is we will get no clear air.
“The fact is we are maybe 10 months, 11 months away from the next election. Every month lost is a month of lost opportunities. We have to make a change for our country’s sake, for the government’s sake, for the party’s sake,” he said.
Mr Turnbull said he was motivated by a commitment to serve the Australian people and he wants “to ensure that our Liberal values continue to be translated into good government, sound policies, economic confidence creating the jobs and the prosperity of the future”.
He said Australia’s economy was a strong motivation for his challenge. “The only way we can ensure that we remain a high wage, generous social welfare net, first-world society is if we have outstanding economic leadership, if we have strong business confidence.”
Both Mr Turnbull and Mr Abbott represent beachside seats in Sydney; Wentworth in the east and Warringah in the north, respectively.
‘Small l’ liberal
Mr Turnbull is from the “small l” liberal wing of the party, while Mr Abbott is from the conservative wing. The conservative side of the party has been dominant for the past two decades. However, many conservatives backed Mr Turnbull as the party’s polling numbers have been so low for so long under Mr Abbott. In the most recent poll last week, the Liberal-National coalition trailed the opposition Labor party 54-46 after preferences.
Mr Abbott was elected in 2013 on a promise to fix what he endlessly called the “budget emergency” left by Labor. But unemployment was 5.8 per cent when Labor lost power; it now stands at 6.2 per cent. Growth was at 2.5 per cent under Labor; it’s now just 2 per cent. The budget deficit has risen from AU$30 billion (€18.7 billion) to AU$48 billion and the Australian dollar has fallen 24 per cent against the US dollar. The government long ago stopped talking about a “budget emergency”.
The Liberal party belittled the Labor party in 2010 and 2013 as they switched from Kevin Rudd as prime minister to Julia Gillard and then back to Mr Rudd again. The Liberals will no longer be able to throw that at Labor either.
However, Labor’s big lead over the coalition is likely to evaporate quickly under Mr Turnbull, who has consistently been favoured over Mr Abbott in polls.
The last time an Australian prime minister served a full term was John Howard who lost power, and his own seat, in 2007.
