Look behind you
Both Sussan Ley and David Littleproud face dissent from within after this week's reunification of the Coalition and shadow ministry announcement.
Disgruntled MPs are inevitable after major reshuffles, but rarely is their disappointment so public or laced with political threats as we've seen this week.
Within hours of Liberal leader Sussan Ley and her Nationals counterpart David Littleproud unveiling their new frontbench on Wednesday, MPs now sitting on the backbench launched a not-so-subtle revolt.
The jettisoning of former finance spokeswoman Jane Hume, a moderate, was the headline-grabber on the Liberal side. But it was Ley’s removal or demotion of a handful of conservative women — Claire Chandler, Sarah Henderson and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price — that some internally view as posing the biggest threat to her leadership.
There are claims Ley secured a narrow leadership victory partly by offering jobs before the vote. Whether that's true or not, the new shadow cabinet certainly has the air of rewarding backers.
