[Published: Wednesday August 22 2018]
 Australia PM battles cabinet rebellion over leadership
CANBERRA 22 Aug (ANA) - A total of ten government ministers in Australia have offered to resign following a failed bid to oust Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull as party leader.
Mr Turnbull narrowly won an internal party leadership vote on Tuesday but is now likely to face a second challenge.
He accepted the resignation of his challenger, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, and one other minister.
Mr Turnbull is under pressure because of a long run of poor polling and a divisive energy policy.
His centre-right coalition will face a general election by May next year, after recently losing a key by-election in Queensland.
Aside from Mr Dutton, those who offered resignations included three senior ministers in Mr Turnbull's 23-member cabinet, Australian media reported.
The opposition Labor party has accused the government of being in "chaos".
Now on the backbench, Mr Dutton has said he is still actively campaigning for the leadership and has lobbied other MPs for their support in a second vote.
"You do not go into a ballot believing that you can lose and if I believe that a majority of colleagues support me then I would consider my position," he told radio station 3AW.
Mr Turnbull initiated the first vote among Liberal Party MPs on Tuesday in an attempt to end growing speculation about his position as leader of the Liberal party. He won the vote 48-35.(ANA)
FA/ANA/22 August 2018-------
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