Malcolm Turnbull promises new style of leadership, but no change on key issues

Extract from The Guardian

The millionaire former banker holds off from policy pronouncements, but says he will respect traditional cabinet processes and the intelligence of the electorate

Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop speak to media after winning the leadership. Photograph: Sam Mooy/AAP

Lenore Taylor and Daniel Hurst

Tuesday 15 September 2015 00.22 AEST

Malcolm Turnbull has promised a new prime ministerial style respecting the intelligence of the Australian electorate and explaining necessary policy changes after winning the Liberal leadership from Tony Abbott in a party room ballot by 54 votes to 44.

But Turnbull said the substance of the Coalition’s climate change policy and its pledge to hold a national plebiscite on marriage equality would not change. He declined to nominate policies that would be altered without first consulting colleagues because he was determined to restore a “thoroughly traditional cabinet government”.

His immediate pledges, ahead of being sworn in as Australia’s 29th prime minister, are in direct response to the most strident criticisms of Abbott – that he governed by three-word slogans rather than thought-through policies and bypassed or ignored his cabinet on important decisions.

Turnbull also addressed the criticisms of the Liberal party’s conservative wing who overthrew him as opposition leader in 2009 in favour of Abbott because of Turnbull’s backing for the then Labor government’s emissions trading scheme. The rightwing insist the millionaire former merchant banker is too moderate for the party’s traditional base.

Malcolm Turnbull speaking to media after the ballot.

“The Liberal party is the largest, most diverse grassroots political organisation in Australia. Our party room is remarkably diverse both in terms of people’s life experience, their former occupations and their views on many issues. This is why a culture of engagement, of consultation, of collaboration is so absolutely critical,” Turnbull said at a press conference after the late night ballot.

Julie Bishop remains deputy Liberal leader and will remain as foreign minister, but a ministerial shakeup looms after the leadership upheaval. Turnbull declined to nominate who would serve as his treasurer, although social services minister Scott Morrison was tipped. He will also have to renegotiate the agreement with his national party coalition partners.

Turnbull paid tribute to Abbott, whose relentless attacks defeated a resurrected Kevin Rudd at the 2013 general election. But Abbott’s style did not translate well to governing. His first budget was judged harshly for inflicting spending cuts that hit the poor the hardest, and for breaking numerous promises made during the election campaign.

A backbench revolt saw an unsuccessful vote to declare the leadership vacant in February, but party dissatisfaction never really subsided.

Long-simmering leadership tensions exploded on Monday when Turnbull declared a challenge, arguing Abbott had shown himself unable to make the case for policy change or turn around the Coalition’s political fortunes.

Abbott pleaded with his party not to repeat the Labor party’s mistakes, and his backers immediately mobilised a counteroffensive, seeking to build momentum during the five hours between Turnbull’s declaration and the ballot.

They insisted electorate offices were being “swamped” with calls from Liberal members aghast that the party would consider removing a sitting prime minister and providing a parade of ministers to urge the party to stick with the current prime minister.

Cabinet ministers who publicly declared their support for Abbott before the party room meeting included Eric Abetz, Kevin Andrews, Joe Hockey, Mathias Cormann and Peter Dutton. At least some are now expected to return to the backbench.

Morrison said in a statement that he was “voting for the prime minister and not standing in any ballots”, scotching earlier claims that he could be a contender for deputy. But he did not appear in public to argue against a change.

The decision comes two years after Abbott led the Coalition to an election victory and seven months after Abbott’s “near death experience” in the last attempted leadership spill. The Coalition has been lagging behind Labor in major published opinion polls since last year, when the government’s first budget carried unpopular measures to cut health and education spending, deregulate university fees and introduce a Medicare co-payment.

In February, Abbott pleaded with his colleagues for more time to turn around the government’s fortunes when he faced a leadership spill motion initiated by backbench MPs. On that occasion, there was no declared challenger, but 39 Liberals still voted to declare the leadership positions vacant, while 61 backed Abbott.

Turnbull visited the prime minister shortly after question time on Monday and asked him to call a Liberal party room meeting for a leadership ballot.

Bishop had already told Abbott – in a pre-question time meeting – that he should stand aside. At that point Abbott is understood to have been strongly resisting the idea of a challenge.

Turnbull resigned from cabinet and sought support from colleagues by pitching himself as the right person to lead Australia at a time of major economic challenges. He accused the prime minister of being unable to provide the necessary economic leadership, urged colleagues to support a new “style of leadership that respects the people’s intelligence” instead of sloganeering, and promised to restore traditional cabinet government.

Abbott had declared that he would fight the leadership challenge because Australia needed “strong and stable government” and the prime ministership was “not a prize or a plaything to be demanded”.

“I will be a candidate and I expect to win,” Abbott said before the meeting.