Julie Bishop to quit

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, a rare female voice in the government, said Sunday she was quitting the frontbench after a failed tilt at the nation’s top job during a messy party-room coup.

Newspoll also has Bill Shorten as more popular than new Prime Minister Scott Morrison, 39 per cent to 33 per cent, after the Labor leader trailed Mr Turnbull in the previous poll by 12 points.

Turnbull then relinquished his prime ministership on Friday after a second leadership spill that saw former Treasurer Morrison defeat Dutton 45-40 in a party vote and be sworn in as Australia’s 30th prime minister on Friday night.

In June, however, she said Australia wouldn’t be following the United States in moving its embassy to Jerusalem, rebuffing pressure from the party’s base.

Mr Morrison says the challenge for the energy sector is to ensure reliable power and for the market to drive prices down.

Tony Abbott, a key Dutton ally who was prime minister before Turnbull replaced him in a similar Liberal Party revolt in 2015, declared on Monday that the government would not turn against Morrison.

Both Mr Rudd and Mr Abbott were ousted as prime minister by their parties before they had finished their first terms.

She served as minister for education and science and for women before becoming foreign minister in Tony Abbott’s government in 2013.

Angus Taylor is now Energy Minister, while Melissa Price has been handed the environment portfolio. David Littleproud remains the Minister for Agriculture and Water Resources.

Ms Bishop said she wants her successor Marise Payne to pursue justice for the families of the 38 Australians killed when Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine.

If the reports are correct, Turnbull’s resignation will trigger a by-election in his seat of Wentworth, eastern Sydney, with several potential candidates already emerging.

Josh Frydenberg was voted in as deputy leader by his colleagues and given the treasury portfolio on Friday.

“You would have to ask the individuals involved but it appeared to be a tactic to promote Peter Dutton into the prime ministership, whatever the cost”.

Promising a stable government, Morrison said, “We will provide the stability and the unity and the direction and the goal that the Australian people expect of us”.

MP Steven Ciobo has also been appointed as the new Minister for Defence Industry, building the capability of our defence forces and rolling out the defence industry plan. Turnbull said he was impressed by his party’s decision not to reward Dutton and to elect Morrison, whom he descried as a “very loyal and effective treasurer”.