SYDNEY – Scott Morrison was sworn in as Australia’s seventh prime ministerin 11 years Friday after a stunning party revolt against Malcolm Turnbull,which the new leader admitted had left the government “bruised andbattered”.
Former home affairs minister Peter Dutton, an ex-police officer andright-winger, was the driving force behind the move to oust Turnbull aftera Liberal Party backlash against his more moderate policies.
But after a torrid week of political manoeuvring in Canberra it wasMorrison, a Turnbull ally who served as treasurer, who won a party vote45-40. He was officially sworn in as Australia’s 30th prime minister lateFriday in a ceremony in the capital.
Environment minister Josh Frydenberg — who was elected as the deputyLiberal leader — was sworn in as treasurer.
Morrison — an evangelical Christian known as “ScoMo” — replaced a man whobecame the latest in a long line of leaders knifed in the back by ambitiouscolleagues.
The fresh outbreak of political instability was met with renewed publicdisgust towards the political class — already among the least trustedprofession in the country despite an unprecedented era of prosperity.
Morrison admitted the extraordinary scenes in the nation’s capital hadtaken a heavy toll on parliament and the Liberal Party.
“Our job… is to ensure that we not only bring our party back together,which has been bruised and battered this week, but that will ensure webring the Parliament back together, that we can continue to work to ensurethat our country stays close together.”
He said his top priority was to help farmers in New South Wales strugglingthrough one of the worst droughts in half a century.
“This is our most urgent and pressing need right now,” Morrison said.
Dutton, who Turnbull accused of bullying and intimidation in the move toknife him, pledged “absolute loyalty” to Morrison.
Turnbull, who vowed to quit parliament after his near three-year reign cameto an end, survived one attempt to oust him on Tuesday, but ministers thenbegan defecting, throwing the government into crisis.
His departure from politics will spark a by-election for his Sydney seat,threatening the government’s wafer-thin one-seat parliamentary majority.
He used his final press conference to lash out at the “wreckers” in hisparty.
“There was a determined insurgency from a number of people both in theparty room and backed by voices, powerful voices, in the media,” he toldreporters, in reference to media mogul Rupert Murdoch’s conservative NewsCorporation.
“It was described as madness by many, and… in so far as there has beenchaos this week, it has been created by the wreckers.”
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*Thwarted ambitions*——————————
Dutton, who favours slashing migrant numbers and even pulling Australia outof the Paris climate agreement, was the sole candidate to be prime ministeruntil Thursday when Morrison entered the fray to try to halt his power grab.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott, an arch conservative widely seen as theinstigator of the move to get rid of Turnbull, said it was now important to”save the government” with national elections due by the middle of nextyear.
Morrison, a former immigration minister, who took credit for “stop theboats” — a harsh policy to halt asylum-seekers from entering Australia –is further to the right than Turnbull but not as hardline as some in theparty.
Politics expert Rob Manwaring of Flinders University said Morrison waslikely to continue Turnbull’s economic agenda, of which he was one of themain architects as treasurer.
But he could shift the government’s environment policy to the right as aconsistent voter against the introduction of a carbon price.
“In one sense I think there would be continuity (in the economicportfolio), in another sense, (he’ll be) trying to downgrade or shift anyradical action on climate policy,” he told AFP.
The unrest is the latest chapter in a turbulent decade for Australianpolitics, which has frequently descended into squabbling that has alienatedvoters.
No leader has managed to serve out a full term since former Prime MinisterJohn Howard lost the 2007 election, in a remarkable revolving door atCanberra’s parliament house.
One minister was so disillusioned with the push to oust Turnbull that hetook to Twitter to apologise to the Australian people.
“Australia. We owe you an apology. I’m sorry. You deserve better than manyof the things our Federal Parliament has served up to you for the past 10years,” wrote Nationals MP Darren Chester, whose party is in coalition withthe Liberals. – APP/AFP