Australia's ruling party has elected treasurer and churchgoer Scott Morrison as the next prime minister in a ballot that continues an era of extraordinary polit
The 50-year-old overcame Peter Dutton, who was the key challenger to incumbent PM Malcolm Turnbull, to win a leadership ballot by 45 votes to 40.
He is expected to be sworn in by Governor-General Peter Cosgrove after Mr Turnbull officially resigns.
Born in Sydney in 1968, Mr Morrison has been Australia's treasurer - the equivalent of the UK's Chancellor - since September 2015.
He was first elected as an MP in 2007 when he won the seat of Cook, located in the southern suburbs of Sydney.
Known to be a regular churchgoer, after last year's referendum on same-sex marriage, he would back a new "religious protections" bill to support churches who didn't want to offer gay weddings.
Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.
A Monthly Gift Of $11 Makes A World Of Difference
In a world of fake news there’s never been a greater need for quality Christian journalism. Premier’s mission is to provide the Church with the most up to date and relevant news, told from a Christian perspective. But we can’t do it without you.
Unlike many websites we haven't put up a paywall — we want to keep our journalism free at the point of need and as open as we can. Premier’s news output takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. No one in the USA is sharing news like we are across radio, magazines and online so please help us to continue that today.
For a monthly gift of $11 or more we’d also be able to send you a free copy of the brand new Premier Bible, a wonderful Anglicised version of the NLT packed with exclusive bonus content, reading plan and resources to help you get the most out of scripture.
Your monthly support will make a world of difference. Thank you.
Support Us
Article by Press Association
Reporting courtesy of Press Association.
