Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has been ousted by a revolt within his ruling center-right Liberal Party. He was replaced by Treasurer Scott Morrison. Morrison is Australia's fifth prime minister in five years — the fourth rejected by his own party — and his prospects are uncertain. Instability now appears to be a feature of Australia's top leadership, and politicians' failure to put national interests above their personal interest will likely intensify voter concerns, accelerate the rejection of established parties and encourage still more uncertainty.
Turnbull had a good run as prime minister. While a conservative, he governed from the center during his 35 months in power. The economy was stable under his watch — expected from a former Goldman Sachs banker — with growth this year projected at 3.1 percent, marking 27 years without a recession. One million jobs have been created over the last five years, the economy is approaching "full employment" and companies enjoy steady profits. After a rocky start, Turnbull forged a strong relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump — as in Japan, ensuring good relations with Washington is a critical part of the prime minister's portfolio — and he continued to build strong relations with other Asian nations, including Japan.
Those successes were not enough to stave off a leadership challenge by disgruntled members of the conservative wing of his party, however. The ostensible cause of the revolt was energy policy. Australia is one of the world's leading energy producers — it is the No. 1 coal exporter — but climate change policies threaten that role. Turnbull sought to put into law a plan to limit Australia's greenhouse gas emissions that would be consistent with its Paris climate accord commitments, but it would also raise energy prices at home. That upset party members like Morrison (he once brought a lump of coal to Parliament and told fellow legislators: "Do not be scared. Do not be scared. It will not hurt you") who used the bill to launch a revolt.