15.09.2015 - 05:20
Malcolm Turnbull has been officially sworn in as Australia’s 29th Prime Minister.
The staunch republican swore allegiance to the Queen at a hastily organised ceremony at Government House in Canberra this afternoon.
Mr Turnbull read out the oath of office, with deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop and his wife among the assembled supporters.
“I, Malcolm Bligh Turnbull, do swear that I will well and truly serve the people of Australia in the office of prime minister and that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of Australia, so help me God,” he said.
Mr Turnbull staged the leadership coup yesterday afternoon, culminating in a vote in the Liberal Party room late last night, that he won by 10 votes.
He has pledged to run a more collegiate Cabinet-focused government and to hold the line on the existing same-sex marriage and climate change policies that were endorsed by Tony Abbott as prime minister.
Mr Abbott delivered his own speech, conceding he had been ousted as a first-term prime minister after just two years in office.
He has partly blamed internal “white-anting” and “character assassination” in the media for his demise, but promised not to “wreck” his Government in retribution.
