New leader will keep royal link

According to News.com.au, more than 28 changes to personnel and ministerial responsibilities were made official. His Cabinet has five women, including Ms Marise Payne, the first woman to be Australian defence minister.

Malcolm Turnbull took power from the previous Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, in a leadership contest last week.

The Coalition’s primary vote since Turnbull became leader last Monday (that is, a one-week sample rather than Essential’s usual rolling two-week average) has lifted to 43%, with Labor on 37% and the Greens on 11%, for a two-party preferred result of 50%-50%.

Somehow I thought old Leather Jacket Turnbull, who seems so reasonable, would get what Australians meant when we said we needed a different direction, when we said Tony Abbott had absolutely no understanding of what happens in our lives.

But Mr Abbott now claims he was never told by anyone, including Mr Morrison personally, about the risk.

Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen also played down the poll, saying people shouldn’t get too excited about the “first blush of newness” of a new prime minister. She needs time to show what she can do with the backing of a Prime Minister who is hopefully more open to addressing the needs of women in Australia.

Mr Abbott confirmed he was not offered a ministerial position by Mr Turnbull.

Mr Abbott further fuelled speculation he may leave parliament after the election.

Not all Abbott-backers were cut from the cabinet.

But a larger risk facing Mr Turnbull, who is seen as more progressive than many MPs in his party on such issues as climate change and marriage equality, is that his Cabinet will alienate the more conservative wing of the Liberals.

“There has never been anything like this in our politics – a sweeping reconstruction and renewal of a first-term government“, he wrote in The Australian.

Mr Harris will say there is massive scope for the Turnbull government to benefit from taking up the sort of reforms suggested by the review.

Other changes to the ministry include Mitch Fifield winning the role of Communications Minister, taking over from Turnbull, and Simon Birmingham as Education Minister.

“For the bounce to be sustained, however, the new Prime Minister and his colleagues will need to deliver a medium-term reform strategy in the context of a clear economic story for the country”, he advised.