Liberal leadership spill: Morrison is a solid choice for PM, but savagery must stop, Gee says

Mr Morrison will become Australia’s 30^th Prime Minster after a leadership spill which saw Malcolm Turnbull resign on Friday.

Josh Frydenberg was elected as the deputy leader of the Liberal Party.

Mr Gee told Fairfax Media earlier on Friday that the nation had witnessed a “ghastly spectacle” in the currently leadership spill, however, he backed the Liberal Party members’ vote to elect Mr Morrisson.

“As chair of the Coalition’s Economics and Finance Backbench Committee, I meet with him regularly. He’s a smart guy and he’s certainly across all the economic issues facing Australia, you won’t trip him up on any of those, that’s for sure,” he said.

“I was also surprised that Julie Bishop didn’t make it into the final round. I think she’s done an outstanding job as Foreign Minister and the public also rate her highly.

Mr Gee said the Liberal Party now has to move on from the Malcolm versus Tony wars because “nobody wants to see any more of the political savagery that has been laid before us over the past few days”.

“It’s a vicious cycle that needs to be brought to a close,” he said.

“The axes that people have to grind need to be buried, the swords have to be beat into ploughshares and Australia needs to get back dealing with the pressing issues facing it – the most urgent of which is the worst drought in living memory.

“If our Coalition cousins can’t get their act together and stop the political warfare, then I think The Nationals need to re-think how the whole Coalition works. Time will tell.”

Mr Gee said the National Party had been meeting during the past 24-hours to ensure that in any future Coalition agreement, the best possible deal for country Australia is secured, including for Calare.

“At the top of my list is more drought relief, further funding to fix mobile blackspots and increased funding for our regional infrastructure projects,” he said.

“Over the past few weeks I have made numerous speeches to the Parliament on the need to be ramping up drought support, including more rural financial counsellors for the Central Tablelands, the need to get grain into NSW from WA for our farmers, and the possible release of water flows to help irrigate fodder for our herds and flocks.

“It’s now time to get on with it and get back to what we’re elected to do – which is to make life better for the people we represent.”