Deputy PM Richard Marles rejects Ed Husic's ‘factional assassin' claim
Richard Marles has rejected dumped minister Ed Husic's description of him as a 'factional assassin' and denied he has blood on his hands following Labor's post-election reshuffle.
Mr Marles, who is acting Prime Minister while Anthony Albanese is in Indonesia, repeatedly blamed 'collective processes' for the decision to axe Mr Husic and former Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus from the front bench.
He did not deny ignoring phone calls from Mr Husic and would not say whether he has spoken to Mr Dreyfus since the news broke.
'All the conversations I have . . . I do on the basis that those conversations are confidential,' Mr Marles told reporters in Perth.
'It is a difficult process and none of us have an entitlement to be a minister, we all know that. We know that we submit ourselves to those processes.'
Mr Husic launched a scathing attack on national television in the wake of the cabinet reshuffle, accusing Mr Marles of prioritising factional wars over leadership.
'We've had sort of bare-faced ambition and a deputy prime minister wield a factional club to reshape the ministry,' Mr Husic told ABC Insiders on Sunday.
'I think when people look at a deputy prime minister, they expect to see a statesman, not a factional assassin.
'I thought it was also especially disrespectful of the deputy prime minister to put the prime minister in a terrible place where he was being asked to intervene. I didn't think that was right either.
'I feel for supporters of our party, who went from the high of a Saturday and a terrific and tremendous win to the lows of factional grubbiness.'
Mr Marles said he is 'confident' the reshuffle has resulted in a 'first rate ministry' and rejected concerns it could trigger a by-election, if Mr Dreyfus - who is 68 - decides to retire, after being relegated to the backbench.
'I'm not about to speculate on all of that again, all I would say is I very much acknowledge the service that Mark has provided,' Mr Marles said.
'He has every reason to feel very proud of the service that he has provided.'
Mr Dreyfus, who was first appointed Attorney-General in 2013 as part of the Gillard Government, is yet to publicly comment on his demotion.
He was replaced as Attorney-General by former Communications Minister Michelle Rowland, with his cabinet spot taken up 38-year-old Victorian MP Sam Rae - a former advisor to right-faction power broker Stephen Conroy - who was sworn-in as Aged Care and Seniors Minister.
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