Minchin puts his hand up to pursue shadow comms role

Senator Nick Minchin, who stood down as shadow communications minister after disagreeing with Malcolm Turnbull's stance on emissions trading last week, is likely to put his hand up for the job again after a leadership spill saw his co-conspirator Tony Abbott elected as the Liberal Party's new leader today.

Tony Abbott was today announced the Liberal Party's new leader, following a leadership spill and a ballot in which he was elected by a winning margin of just one vote.

A spokesman for Senator Nick Minchin said he now expected a significant portfolio reshuffle within the Liberal party, as several MPs were due to retire at the next election.

Minchin's spokesman said that the Senator "thoroughly" enjoyed the communications porfoilio.

"Senator Minchin would certainly relish in the opportunity to continue to hold Senator Conroy to account," he said.

However, the spokesman said the new leader, Tony Abbott, would have the prerogative to reassign new portfolios as he saw fit.

"It'll probably be a couple of days before we have any idea about what that make-up would be," he said.

In a media statement Nick Minchin congratulated his colleague Tony Abbott.

"Tony is a man of decency, strong character and conviction who is extremely well equipped to unite the Opposition and to hold the Rudd the Government to account," Minchin said.