Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton Resigns from the government frontbench.
The move followed Mr Dutton’s failed Liberal leadership challenge on Tuesday.
It is understood at least four other ministers could join him on the backbench, having supported him in the ballot against Malcolm Turnbull.
Mr Dutton won 35 votes to the prime minister’s 48.
Dutton was the first Minister for Home Affairs, engineering the merger of the super portfolio which essentially made him Australia’s inaugural King Cop.
Malcolm Turnbull called the spill after what was clearly massive pressure from the Dutton camp. He clearly did it because he knew he had the numbers – at least at this point.
To make this entirely clear: Dutton is absolutely still an MP – her hasn’t resigned from Parliament altogether. He is now totally free to sit back there with Tony Abbott snickering to one another and kissing big lumps of coal.
More to come, I’m sure!