Job hers for as long as she wants it
DEPUTY Liberal leader Julie Bishop's reputation as Parliament's great survivor is safe with her biggest rival Immigration Minister Peter Dutton ruling out a challenge.
But Mr Dutton has delivered a warning on superannuation reform, stressing party leaders cannot have a "tin ear" to the concerns of voters on the issue.
Ms Bishop, who celebrates her 60th birthday next Sunday, faced moves by Tony Abbott supporters to have her replaced as deputy leader as payback for her failure to protect the former prime minister.
But Mr Dutton has intervened to publicly urge his colleagues to leave the current leadership team in place.
"The primary objective for the Government is to provide stability and that was a key feature of the Liberal Party's pitch to the electorate during the campaign," Mr Dutton told The Sunday Times yesterday.
"The best way we can do this is to provide support to the current leadership team and all of us across the spectrum of the party must pledge our support to Malcolm Turnbull." Mr Dutton's intervention is significant because he is regarded as the de facto leader of the conservatives within the Liberal Party. Mr Turnbull is also moving to elevate Mr Dutton's existing role within cabinet by appointing him to the national security committee, a move he had previously resisted.
Most significantly, Mr Dutton indicated the Turnbull Government might need to amend planned budget reforms to superannuation that have prompted a huge backlash over claims that $1.6 million caps on super nest eggs are retrospective because they change the rules on existing investors.
"None of us should have a tin ear to the public's view about a number of issues including superannuation and the Prime Minister's already flagged that the government should be looking at these issues," Mr Dutton said.
After the Coalition's near death experience, Mr Dutton said there were lessons to be learned including the role of campaigners Get Up that influenced outcomes in key marginals."Get Up were carpet bombing in last 72 hours on Facebook," he said. "I think the technology has overtaken the legislation. If someone needs to authorise an ad in the newspaper they should have to authorise a text message and any social media message."