Australia PM Turnbull in crisis with second leadership challenge

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's tenuous grip on power came under intense pressure today with the man who wants his job launching a second leadership challenge in a week and senior ministers defecting.

Former home affairs minister Peter Dutton, an ex-police officer and right-wing conservative, said he was confident he now had the numbers to unseat Turnbull, considered a moderate.

"Earlier this morning I called the prime minister to advise him that it was my judgement that the majority of the party room no longer supported his leadership," he said in a brief statement. "As such, I asked him to convene a meeting of the Liberal Party at which I would challenge for the leadership of the parliamentary Liberal Party."
"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we went to see the prime minister to advise him that in our judgement he no longer enjoyed the support of the majority of members in the Liberal Party party room," said Cormann, who used to be a trusted ally. "It is in the best interests of the Liberal Party to help manage an orderly transition to a new leader."