He also upped the number of women in cabinet from two to five, with Senator Marise Payne notably becoming the country’s first female defence minister.
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Abbott was also excluded from the new 21-member Cabinet.
Abbott, who was interviewed after surfing at Manly beach in his Sydney electorate of Warringah, praised his former treasurer after Hockey announced on Sunday he would bow out of the parliament.
“And that’s after we spent $1 million on that seat to save the Prime Minister, and Labor has spent nothing”, one Cabinet minister said.
Peter Dutton, Mr Morrison’s successor as Immigration Minister, had reportedly offered Mr Turnbull his resignation, as well as offering to stay in Cabinet in a different role. Several high-profile cabinet ministers have been kicked off the frontbench entirely, including Eric Abetz, Kevin Andrews, Joe Hockey, Ian Macfarlane, and Bruce Billson.
Education Minister Christopher Pyne was promoted to be Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, which Mr Turnbull said would be a crucial department in his government. Turnbull told reporters Monday afternoon that he had proposed the vote as it hadbecome clear that Abbott ” has not been capable ofproviding the economicleadership our nation needs”.
Abbott, in an intervention that brings party divisions back into the open, specifically rejected Morrison’s claim he had warned the prime minister’s office on the Friday before Malcolm Turnbull’s challenge to be on high alert.
Paul Fletcher, who was second to Turnbull as parliamentary secretary to the minister for communications, is now territories, local government and major projects minister.
Mr Speers then asked him a series of questions about hot political topics including asylum seekers still on Manus Island and Nauru, the state of Australia’s economy, Senate voting reforms and penalty rates.
“I have nothing in common with Frank Underwood, other than we both use a rowing machine”, Mr Turnbull joked on Channel Seven.
In challenging Abbott’s leadership, Turnbull indirectly attacked Hockey with the criticism that “the government is not successful in providing the economic leadership that we need”.
So after leadership changes and unstable governments has Australia found the right leader?
It is perhaps little surprise that the Chinese media have apparently been referring to Mr Turnbull as “sweet dumpling” or “sugar bomb”, a play on his surname, which sounds like tang bao, the popular Chinese steamed buns.
“I certainly don’t think it should drag onto the next election”.
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“Now, you know, the Liberal Party has many flaws, I’m sure, but it has got a couple of great virtues”, the Prime Minister said.
