Share

Australia’s new prime minster receives opinion poll boost

But the new Prime Minister’s views on same-sex marriage are well-known and Mr Entsch, who introduced a cross-party same-sex marriage bill into Parliament earlier this year, said he now expected controversial aspects of the plebiscite to be decided much sooner.

Advertisement

In retaining Ms Julie Bishop as Foreign Minister, is new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull signalling that, like his predecessor, he will nurture the strategic partnerships forged with India, Japan and Singapore, for example, or is he rewarding her for loyalty during the Liberal Party putsch?

But Mr Abbott now claims he was never told by anyone, including Mr Morrison personally, about the risk. “People would be horrified to learn their vote ended up where it did”.

Overall, the mood within government was positive due the the rebound in confidence and the opinion polls.

Malcolm Turnbull addressed the media for the very first time after clinching victory in the elections and becoming the 29th Prime Minister of Australia.

It was similar to the surge in business confidence upon the election of the Abbott government in September 2013.

Economists said the new leader would revive consumer and business confidence, even though reforms could take longer to materialize. “It’s the first time that a woman has been in that role in Australia“, Maddison said. “Consumer caution and gloom in the long-term outlook could easily re-emerge, given weak wages growth and sub-par global economic activity”.

In interviews on Monday Turnbull continued to leave the way open for policy changes, including in higher education, while avoiding locking himself into specifics.

But Robb let slip that this timetable could be brought forward.

Turnbull’s satisfaction rating is 42%, with 24% dissatisfied.

Defence has been a revolving door portfolio over the past five years and badly needs stability as it sets about reforming a bureaucratic procurement pipeline, said Andrew Davies, director of research at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

Mr Turnbull has put all policies up for review and will dispense with those which have been causing it trouble.

“Ken Wyatt as assistant minister for health is also ground- breaking, to see an Indigenous MP in a portfolio role”.

Paul Fletcher, who was second to Turnbull as parliamentary secretary to the minister for communications, is now territories, local government and major projects minister.

According to one Nationals source, Mr Joyce was telephoned by Mr Turnbull on the Sunday evening before the leadership challenge, and had given the plan “two thumbs up”.

Shorten says the poll bounce is just a short-term reaction to the removal of an unpopular prime minister.

Advertisement

“Don’t play it up to be bigger than it is Jon, what I’m saying is that we as a Coalition Government have entered into a bipartisan agreement with the Labor Party, on a 23.5% renewable energy target by 2020, this will see a doubling of large scale renewable energy“.

Scott Morrison meets with Reserve Bank Governor Glenn Stevens on Wednesday