Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Vice-President of the Executive Council) Share this | Hansard source

Yes, at the time when the Prime Minister made that statement, we didn't have any plans to change our processes. But guess what? Subsequent to that the leadership team has had a number of conversations about what we should do in order to ensure that the Australian people can have confidence that Scott Morrison, if successful at the next election, will continue to serve as our Prime Minister until the election after that. We asked the whips to come forward with a proposed rule, which they did. It was unanimously endorsed by our Liberal ministers in the Liberal ministry meeting yesterday and also overwhelmingly supported by our party room and by my good friend and valued colleague Senator Stoker, who made that point yesterday in her interview as well.

I know that the Labor Party is very worried, because Mr Shorten's position is much less secure now. All the Labor Party needs is 50 per cent plus one. We know that Mr Albanese has been hanging in the shadows for a very long time, looking to find the 50 per cent plus one that would help secure the leadership change in the Labor Party. We know that the position of the leader of the Liberal Party, as elected Prime Minister, is now a much stronger, more stable position than the position of Mr Shorten, so I'm not surprised by those questions. No doubt Senator Kitching, as a strong advocate and a strong personal supporter of Mr Shorten, will soon be moving a motion in the caucus for the Labor caucus to adopt this Liberal Party rule. Good luck. I wish you good luck because we, of course, are very keen to see Mr Shorten continue all the way to the next election.