What has happened in Malcolm Bligh Turnbull's first 154 days as Australia's Prime Minister?

On 14 September 2015 Liberal MP for Wentworth and former Communications Minister Malcolm Bligh Turnbull became the 29th Prime Minister of Australia, after defeating then sitting prime minister Tony Abbott in a party room poll by 55 to 44 votes.

By 21 September Turnbull had announced his new "21st Century" ministry, removing Joe Hockey, Eric Abetz, Ian Macfarlane, Kevin Andrews and Bruce Billson from the ministry in the process.

Just 154 days later and we find that his handpicked…….

Minister for Defence Materiel and Science & Special Minister of State Mal Brough had to first stand aside in December 2015, due to an Australian Federal Police investigation into allegations that he has urged a member of the staff of the House of Representative Speaker to unlawfully obtain a copy of part of the Speaker’s diary in 2012 and, then on 13 February 2016 was forced to resign as minister

Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science & Leader of the House Christopher Pyne is assisting the Australian Federal Police with inquiries in relation to those same allegations as is the Assistant Minister for Innovation Wyatt Roy

Minister for Cities and the Built Environment Jamie Briggs had to resign in December 2015 after admitting he had behaved inappropriately towards a young female member of the Australian diplomatic corps whilst in Hong Kong bar in November 2015

Minister for Human Services & Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Stuart Robert had to resign in February 2016 after it was revealed that he had breached ministerial standards in 2014 by allegedly lobbying the Chinese Government on behalf of the mutual business interests of himself and a major Liberal Party donor

Minister for Vocational Education and Skills Luke Hartsuyker was involuntarily demoted to the backbench without explanation in 2016.

Then Liberal MP for Groome Ian Macfarlane, who lost the portfolio for industry and science when Turnbull ousted Abbott, finally saw the writing on the wall after a failed attempt to cross to the Nationals and, subsequently being tarred with the Stuart Robert scandal, decided to retire at the general election this year.

After his Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss and Minister for Trade and Investment Andrew Robb also decided to bail (voluntarily) out of politics, this left him seven ministers short since taking charge in September 2015.

In Turnbull’s emergency ministerial reshuffle there are fourteen Coalition MPs and Senators who have assumed new portfolio responsibilities – some for the very first time:

New Minister for Northern Australia, Qld Nationals Senator Matt Canavan – has been in parliament less than nineteen months sitting on a slew of parliamentary committees but doing little else;

New Assistant Minister for Immigration, Qld Liberal Senator James McGrath, retaining Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister – has been in parliament less than nineteen months sitting on a dozen parliamentary committees and becoming Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister in September 2015;

New Assistant Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Minister for Finance, NSW Liberal MP for Eden-Monaro Peter Hendy – has been in parliament a little over two years sitting on two parliamentary committees before becoming Assistant Minister for Productivity in September 2015;

New Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister for Cities and Digital Transformation, NSW Liberal MP for Hume Angus Taylor – been in parliament for a little over two years sitting on five committees but with no other obvious experience;

New Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister,  Nationals MP for Hinkler Keith Pitt – has been in parliament for a little over two years sitting on six parliamentary committess but with no other obvious experience.

New Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs, NSW Liberal MP for Reid Craig Laundy – has been in parliament for a little over two years sitting on four parliamentary committees but with no other obvious experience;

New Minister for Veterans’ Affairs and Minister for Defence Material, Liberal MP for Wannon Dan Tehan – been in parliament for less than six years and sitting on a handful of parliamentary committees;

New Assistant Minister for Disability Services Qld Liberal MP for Ryan Jane Prentice – has been in parliament less than six years holding a number of parliamentary appointments, positions and sitting on a number of committees;

New Minister for Human Services, Liberal MP for Aston Alan Tudge – has been in parliament less than six years with two years as a parliamentary secretary and one committee membership under his belt  before becoming Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister and Assistant Minister for Social Services in September 2015;

New Minister for Infrastructure and Transport, Liberal MP for Gippsland Darren Chester – has been in parliament for less than eight years with a two-year stint as a parliamentary secretary before becoming Assistant Minister for Defence in September 2015;

New Minister for Vocational Education and Skills, Vic Liberal Senator Scott Ryan – has been in parliament less than eight years only having served as a parliamentary secretary or shadow secretary in two portfolios and as an assistant cabinet secretary since September 2015.

New Minister for International Development and the Pacific, NSW Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells – has been in parliament less than eight years, served on various committees and as parliamentary secretary before becoming Assistant Minister for Multicultural Affairs in September 2015.

New Minister for Infrastructure & Regional Development and Minister for Regional Communications, Deputy Leader of the Nationals & NSW Nationals Senator Fiona Nash, retaining Minister for Rural Health – has been in parliament for about twelve years mostly spent on various committees and as shadow parliamentary secretary until becoming Assistant Minister for Health and Minister for Rural Health in September 2015; and

New Minister for Trade and Investment, Liberal MP for Moncrieff Steve Ciobo – who has been in parliament for about 15 years but only became Minister for International Development and the Pacific in September 2015 after serving as a parliamentary secretary in three portfolios.

By this stage of Turnbull's prime ministership Australia has also slipped from ranking 11 to ranking 13 on the Corruption Perceptions Index which judges 168 countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be and, had come third last in the December 2015 annual assessment of 58 nations’ climate policies and carbon emission levels, with only Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan ranking worse.

Likewise the federal government budget deficit forecast has changed and not for the better – it currently stands at est. $37.4 billion.

Additionally the Turnbull Government appears to still have four reports outstanding which should have been submitted to UN committees by now - Elimination of Racial Discrimination report overdue since 2012, Human Rights report overdue since 2013, Economic Social & Cultural Rights report overdue since 2014 and, Elimination of Discrimination against Women report overdue since 2014.

While despite the government being faced with a est. $9 million renovation bill for The Lodge, Turnbull’s wife Lucy happily shopped for sofas, curtains and other soft furnishings for the official residence.

Not exactly a glowing report card for Truffles.