Just get it done already, via The Australian:
Malcolm Turnbull is expected to face his second leadership challenge within 48 hours today after supporters of Peter Dutton last night circulated a petition demanding the Prime Minister call a partyroom meeting and again put his job on the line.
The latest attempt to unseat Mr Turnbull came after he became entangled in Labor’s legal challenge to Mr Dutton’s eligibility to sit in federal parliament.
Attorney-General Christian Porter, acting on a request from Mr Turnbull, sought advice from the Solicitor-General on Labor’s claims in parliament that Mr Dutton had a conflict under section 44 of the Constitution because he was the beneficiary of a profit under the crown.
Here’s is Labor’s advice:
The ABC says it’s not on:
A new bid to put pressure on Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s leadership has been launched with a letter circulating asking for another party room meeting.
But only three Liberals have told the ABC they have signed the letter.
The letter is being circulated among supporters of leadership aspirant Peter Dutton who lost a ballot to Mr Turnbull on Tuesday by 48 to 35.
Supporters of Mr Turnbull say they believe there are not many signatures on the letter.
Liberal frontbencher Jane Prentice who voted for Mr Turnbull said she had heard only nine people had signed and Liberal moderate Trent Zimmerman said there are not enough signatures to cause another leadership spill.
But The Australian reports that key Turnbull backer Mattias Cormman is rolling over:
Key conservative leader Mathias Cormann was last night under pressure from both sides, including fellow West Australian Liberals, to make the decisive choice between Mr Turnbull and Mr Dutton. In a meeting with the Prime Minister last night, the government’s Senate leader and Finance Minister told Mr Turnbull he had lost the support of his partyroom.
The Herald Sun reckons Victoria is boiling over:
VOTERS have bombarded the office of many Victorian Liberal MPs with emails and phone calls warning they could not vote for a Peter Dutton-led government.
Marginal seat Liberals in Victoria have told the Herald Sun they have been urged by constituents to stick with Malcolm Turnbull or they would be forced to vote Labor.
Many of emails link Mr Dutton to former leader Tony Abbott, claiming they are “blood brothers” in their views of immigration and multiculturalism.
That’s to be expected. Dutton will pick up QLD seats and lose them everywhere else in a landslide. Even so, the Coalition must destroy One Nation’s QLD power base or it’s finished. But at what price? It’s possible that the ultimate casualty of the mass immigration economic model is the Coalition as a political force.
Line of the evening goes to the naive, SMH:
Other frontbenchers continued to back the Prime Minister, with Social Services Minister Dan Tehan saying: “I will not vote against a sitting PM.”
One of Mr Turnbull’s supporters, Queensland MP Jane Prentice, dismissed the petition as she left Parliament House on Thursday night, saying she had heard the document only had nine signatures and there was no need for another ballot.
“I think people should stop thinking about themselves and think about the people of Australia,” an angry Ms Prentice said.
You’re in the wrong business, love. Maybe the wrong country.
