Chaotic week ends with Liberal leadership and Labor cabinet still up in the air

Chaos reigns across the parliament following a federal election which has up-ended the status quo, with the Liberals, Nationals and Greens weighing new leadership and even Labor beset by misgivings over a ministerial reshuffle.

The decimated ranks of the Liberal Party will meet on Tuesday to decide between Angus Taylor and Sussan Ley to lead them out of their historic defeat, in a contest that reveals bitter divisions between moderates and conservatives over the soul of the party.

The party room was rocked this week by the defection of conservative firebrand Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who quit the Nationals and is expected to run as Mr Taylor’s deputy.

The move, which has the backing of former prime minister Tony Abbott, has enraged Liberal moderates who have demanded a return towards the centre and have fallen behind Ms Ley, who conceded on Friday the party had failed to reflect “modern Australia”.

The ABC understands each leadership rival had roughly 22 votes in their corner late in the week, with 10 undecided, but there were some indications the injection of Senator Price could sway most of those 10 in Ms Ley’s direction.

Frontbench to outnumber backbench

Whoever prevails will need to make wholesale changes to the shadow ministry, with five of the 30 members of Peter Dutton’s frontbench no longer in the parliament, including Mr Dutton himself.

Filling the full quota of 43 shadow ministers and assistants would severely test the depth in Coalition ranks, requiring nearly two-thirds of the Liberal and National team to take on a portfolio.

The new frontbench is likely to bring greater prominence to Coalition women, with Ms Ley and Mr Taylor both publicly acknowledging the party’s struggle to attract female voters and calls within Liberal ranks to pursue gender quotas.

On current projections, there will be only 18 Liberal women in either house in the new parliament, with three of those (Zoe McKenzie, Gisele Kapterian and Mary Aldred) in seats that remain too close to call.

The Nationals, who held all of their lower house seats except for Calare, will need to choose a new deputy leader, with Perin Davey looking likely to lose her Senate seat.

But on Friday, senator Matt Canavan confirmed he would challenged David Littleproud for the leadership when it is automatically spilled in accordance with party rules.

Factions hand Albanese delicate balancing act

Tuesday will also mark the swearing-in of Labor’s new ministry, with Anthony Albanese likely to unveil a reshuffle as early as this weekend.

The names of the 30-person ministry have already been decided by the party’s factions, with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus and Industry Minister Ed Husic booted to the backbench and Sam Rae, Daniel Mulino, Jess Walsh and Tim Ayres promoted.

Those changes are confined to New South Wales and Victoria, meaning the prime minister may have to satisfy demands for greater representation from Western Australia, Queensland and Tasmania by shuffling portfolios or changing assistant ministers.

New Tasmanian MP Rebecca White, who led the party at state level, was overlooked for a frontbench role and could be in line for an assistant role.

The demotions of Mr Husic and Mr Dreyfus, who were the government’s most senior Muslim and Jewish members, respectively, has angered many within the party.

Mr Dreyfus told reporters he would have “more to say” about his future next week, with some speculation he may quit the parliament, while Mr Husic is weighing his next steps after he failed to attend Friday’s celebratory caucus meeting.

Greens grapple behind closed doors

The Greens will meet next Thursday to choose a new leader, with likely contenders including Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters and Mehreen Faruqi.

Nick McKim, who previously led the Tasmanian Greens in the state parliament, has stepped in as acting leader after Adam Bandt’s shock defeat, ruling himself out of the running for the top job and urging his colleagues to prioritise “unity”.

Senator Faruqi is associated with the party’s left, while senators Hanson-Young and Waters would both be viewed as more moderate choices.

On Thursday, the departing Mr Bandt did not accept blame for the Greens’ loss of at least three lower house seats including his own, blaming the preferences of other parties, a redistribution in the seat of Melbourne, and the unpopularity of Mr Dutton.

Several crossbenchers are also awaiting certainty one week after the election, with counting continuing in several close races featuring independents and minor parties.

Among those awaiting clarity are independents Jessie Price and Nicolette Boele, Tasmanian senator Jacqui Lambie and One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts.