AUSTRALIA has a new prime minister. After defeating the incumbent Tony Abbott by ten votes in an internal party room ballot, former communications minister Malcolm Turnbull assumed office as the 29th Australian Prime Minister. Mr Turnbull's ascension marks the fourth change of leader since 2010. Only one of those changes came about as a result of a general election; all others were the result of internal deliberations of the party in question.

It is because of this relatively high turnover of leaders that Canberra has earned the epithet of "coup capital of the democratic world". But it is a misnomer to characterise the changes as illegal or illegitimate such as a typical coup d'état.

In the Westminster system of government the leader of the largest political bloc in the parliament becomes the head of government. The tenure in office of that head of government depends solely upon one thing: maintaining a majority of support in parliament. This support can be lost through an election, or by losing the confidence of a majority of your party.