Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

One of the greatest fortunes of this country is to inherit the parliamentary traditions of the United Kingdom, in particular the Westminster tradition. I remind members opposite and, indeed, the ministers in the new government, the Abbott-Turnbull government. Page 65 of House of Representatives Practicetalks about examples of ministerial resignation. One of those examples is:

… misleading the Prime Minister, and through him the Parliament;

Another one is:

… disagreement with actions of the Prime Minister;

We saw the former Treasurer in the House yesterday talk about the revolving door of Prime Minister, of Treasurer and of many other officers of high state. It is a concern to my constituents and, I think, all Australians that we have seen such turnover in the ministry and in the prime ministership in the absence of elections.

In The Australian on Tuesday there was a long article where the plotters within the government insisted on bragging to journalists, and I would imagine this caused great consternation in the Liberal Party party room. I would also like to point out that it is in breach of the Westminster tradition. I have gone on about this before and, in case the members opposite do not think I have not applied the same rules to my own party, I remonstrated about this in the first caucus meeting after the election in 2010. Laurie Oakes wrote an article about it; you are free to read it if you like. So I am not applying this rule selectively.

Ministers have an obligation to be up-front with the Prime Minister about their intentions and their loyalty. If they are not, they are in breach of the Westminster tradition, and they are in breach of cabinet government. This article in The Australian, and there are a number of quotes in there of concern, states:

A vague campaign committee for Turnbull began to take shape. There was no chairman except for Turnbull himself.

So the then communications minister was in charge of a vague committee—that is, a cabal, a conspiracy—within the government to depose the Prime Minister. We then have:

Julie Bishop had been aware of the rumblings for weeks, having been approached by colleagues seeking out her disposition to a change on and off since February. But Turnbull was always counting numbers. She would not go to Abbott with every rumour.

Again, this is in knowledge of a conspiracy, in a cabal within the government, and not going to the Prime Minister and informing him.

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