Malcolm Turnbull has struck back angrily at a report that he has been helping independent Kerryn Phelps, his successor in Wentworth, as chaos continues to fracture the Liberals.
Morrison remains wedged between his Liberal right wing ideologues and mainstream voters. The right claims to speak for the “mainstream” on climate (and other things) but it doesn’t.
While the government currently has pledges of confidence from some crossbenchers, they would be in a strong position to demand concessions in a hung parliament.
After election night reports of a thumping win in by independent Kerryn Phelps, the Liberals have recovered significantly in postal votes - so much so, the result is now uncertain.A
The trouncing in Wentworth will re-open fractures in the government, threatening more damaging in-fighting between the party’s conservatives and moderates.
It’s increasingly obvious that as prime minister Morrison will do whatever he thinks it takes – and plumb some dubious depths – to serve his immediate purposes.
Peter Jennings on Morrison’s Jerusalem move
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Jennings says it would be "silly" to claim there is no connection between this week's announcement about the possible relocation of Australia's embassy to Jerusalem and the Wentworth byelection.
Australia should focus on playing a positive role in the ongoing Middle East process, rather than auctioning off its foreign policy for the sake of winning the Wentworth byelection.
The Liberals have been making a big pitch for the Jewish vote in Wentworth, on the back of Sharma’s diplomatic experience. His major opponent, independent Kerryn Phelps, is Jewish.
Some Liberals who agitated for action on religious freedom might be starting to appreciate that the best stand for a conservative can sometimes be to just leave things alone.
The latest polls are a mixed bag for the Morrison government: there were gains in primary and two-party preferred vote, but the polls still have Labor in an election-winning position.
The latest national polls come just days out from Saturday’s Wentworth byelection, which will determine whether the Coalition is forced into minority government.
Alex Turnbull said in his video the IPCC report “frankly was terrifying … and it’s seemingly insane to me that we could not be doing something about this and soon”.
The government's majority is at stake in the October 20 Wentworth byelection, when the Liberals face voters still reeling from the loss of their member Malcolm Turnbull.