Senior government ministers are adamant Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be the Liberal party leader at a May election, but Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he would put his hand up for the top spot “at the right time”.
The government’s primary vote is at an alarming low, after a torrid week in parliament in which Mr Morrison’s leadership was undermined following a failed Religious Discrimination Bill in which five backbenchers crossed the floor, and the leaking of high-level Cabinet information.
The latest blows came after the leaking of alleged text messages in which an unnamed cabinet minister labelled Mr Morrison a “complete psycho” and “fraud”.
While Mr Morrison’s front bench allies have thrown their support behind the Prime Minister, Mr Frydenberg told ABC Radio leadership was still something of interest to him.
“I’m hoping to win the election and I’m hoping to see Scott Morrison continue as Prime Minister,” Mr Frydenberg said.
“I’ve made no secret that (being PM) would be something I put my hand up for at the right time, but we’re not looking that time right now.”
Last week, Defence Minister Peter Dutton downplayed whispers he was vying for the top spot, despite being the one to challenge former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull in 2018, before losing the contest to Mr Morrison.
“We’re weeks away from going into caretaker, we’re on the eve of an election, and I have done my best as Defence Minister to prepare our country for a different time ahead than I think what we’ve known,” Mr Dutton told 3AW last week.
“I want to be the Defence Minister in Scott Morrison’s government.”
Deputy Opposition Leader Richard Marles last week said that while it had been a bad week for Mr Morrison, it had been a “fantastic week for Peter”.
“The whole week has played out with a kind of horrible inevitability of a David Attenborough documentary,” Mr Marles told the nine Network last week.
“The PM is looking like the slowest wildebeest of the herd, and we’ve seen Peter (Dutton’s) head popping up from behind the bushes like the lion licking his chops.”
The coalition’s approval rating is at its lowest since the 2018 leadership spill, according to the latest Newspoll.
Deputy Prime Minxjmtzywister Barnaby Joyce told Channel 7 on Monday that there “will not be a leadership spill” ahead of the May election.
