Leadership crisis: Parliament adjourned early following government motion

The Turnbull government has won a motion to adjourn Parliament amid a battle over the Liberal leadership.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a division in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, August 23, 2018.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull during a division in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, August 23, 2018. Source: AAP

The Turnbull government has successfully moved to adjourn Parliament amid a battle over the Liberal leadership, with Bill Shorten arguing the coalition is "irreparably split" and should hang their heads in shame.

Malcolm Turnbull has been told he no longer has majority support in the Liberal party room, with Peter Dutton expected to win a ballot once a meeting can be convened.
So far 13 ministers have resigned, stepping up pressure on the prime minister to quit.

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke quickly ripped into the "extraordinary" development.

"What is happening right now is the government have decided this place has fallen apart so completely that they are dissolving the parliament for the day entirely," he told the lower house on Thursday.

Mr Burke said the coalition government was completely self-obsessed and had no regard for Australian voters.

"There will be no question time today because they don't know who their ministers are ... they don't know who their prime minister is," he thundered across the chamber.

"There will be no question time today because those opposite have stopped governing."

Mr Shorten said adjourning Parliament was a clear admission of failure and the coalition should hang their heads in shame.

"The government may adjourn the parliament, but they cannot outrun the weight of failure of this government," he said.

"If anyone needs to depart from this place, it is not the parliament, it is this government of Australia who has lost the confidence not just of its own backbench, not just of the opposition, you've lost the confidence of everyday 
Australians.

"Shame on you."

Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

By Helen Chen

Share this with family and friends


News

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
Independent news and stories connecting you to life in Australia and Mandarin-speaking Australians.
Understand the quirky parts of Aussie life.
Get the latest with our exclusive in-language podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
Simplified Chinese Collection

Simplified Chinese Collection

Watch onDemand