Deposed Australia PM Turnbull set to quit Parliament this week

Malcolm Turnbull indicated that he would rather leave Parliament than go to the backbench after being deposed. PHOTO: REUTERS

SYDNEY (AFP) - Dumped prime minister Malcolm Turnbull will quit Parliament this week, reports said on Tuesday (Aug 28), in another headache for Australia's rattled government, which will temporarily lose its tiny one-seat majority.

The moderate was deposed in a Liberal party coup last week, driven by a hardline conservative faction.

After being knifed, he indicated would leave Parliament rather than go to the backbench, and told a party gathering on Monday evening he would officially resign on Friday, broadcaster ABC and Fairfax Media reported.

His departure will trigger a by-election for his Sydney seat, potentially on Oct 6, leaving new Prime Minister Scott Morrison in a precarious position with no parliamentary majority for two weeks.

Mr Turnbull's seat in the wealthy Sydney enclave of Wentworth is traditionally a Liberal safe haven, although a backlash against the government's political infighting could make this less certain.

"As you know, my prime ministership has come to an end. The circumstances have appalled most Australians, but again, I won't labour the point," he told the Monday meeting, Fairfax reported.

"I have a strong view which I've made very clear publicly, so it comes as no surprise, that former prime ministers are best out of Parliament not in it, and I think recent events best underline the value of that observation.

"And so, accordingly, on Friday, I will resign from the House of Representatives."

Ms Christine Forster - the sister of arch-conservative Tony Abbott, who helped orchestrate Mr Turnbull's demise - has already put her hand up to replace Mr Turnbull in the plum seat.

Ms Forster, who is gay and was a high-profile proponent of same-sex marriage in a successful campaign last year, is a well-known Liberal councillor in Sydney.

Others reportedly in the running include businessman and former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma, while the Greens and Labor will almost certainly field candidates.

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