New Australia PM Malcolm Turnbull to announce new cabinet on Monday

MELBOURNE: Australia's new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull today said that he was keen to see more women on the frontbench of his government and hoped that the new cabinet will be sworn in on Monday.

Turnbull, 60, did not give any of the frontbench changes he is planning to make, but did confirm he wants more female representatives to be promoted.

"There is no greater enthusiast than me for seeing more women in positions of power and influence in parliament, in ministries right across the country," he said.

"I can assure you that. I am very committed to that, but I am not going to say any more about the new ministerial arrangements," he said.

According latest media reports, there were speculation that the Immigration and Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton resigned after sending a text message to Turnbull while the former Prime Minister Tony Abbott reportedly sent his resignation via fax.

The Prime Minister, however, was quoted as saying that he was yet to receive an indication from Abbott about whether or not he would quit politics altogether.

In the hastily-arranged late night party leadership ballot on Monday, 57-year-old Abbott received 44 votes against Turnbull's 54.

Turnbull was backed by influential foreign minister Julie Bishop, who the party re-elected as deputy leader.

Turnbull's victory is reminiscent of the coup former prime minister Julia Gillard staged against Kevin Rudd in 2010 and makes the former communications minister Australia's fifth prime minister in eight years.