(Bloomberg) -- Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is fighting to save his job with Cabinet colleague Peter Dutton standing against him for the leadership amid slumping poll ratings, Sky News reported.
Dutton will take on Turnbull in a ballot of Liberal Party lawmakers Tuesday in Canberra, the broadcaster reported, citing unidentified sources within the ongoing closed-door meeting.
Turnbull, 63, has struggled for policy traction and political authority since his Liberal-National coalition retained office in the 2016 election by a razor-thin margin. The government has trailed the main opposition Labor party in opinion polls ever since, and with elections due by May, disquiet over Turnbull’s leadership has been growing.
His authority was wounded in the past week as several backbench lawmakers threatened to vote against a key energy policy, demanding the government provide more support for the coal industry and abandon its Paris Agreement emissions target.
The leadership vote tips the nation into a renewed period of political chaos and revolving-door leadership that’s seen Australia switch prime ministers five times since 2007.
The Australian dollar was little changed in early Sydney trading, fetching 73.40 U.S. cents
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