One of the government's most senior ministers says Prime Minister Scott Morrison was misled on how his party would vote on proposed religious discrimination laws, leading to a major government defeat in parliament.
In the dawn hours of Thursday, five MPs from the government's own ranks broke from their party and crossed the floor to support protections for transgender students — leading the government to shelve its proposed laws indefinitely.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton told the ABC the defeat was unexpected because MPs had given their word they would not cross the floor.
"He was frankly, I think, misled," Mr Dutton said.
"I'm not going to go into private conversations that were had but the government doesn't go into a vote like that unless there's been assurances given.
Finance Minister Simon Birmingham, a moderate Liberal, said he did not want the five rebel MPs punished.
"I would certainly hope they won't be [punished]," Senator Birmingham said.
"I trust they won't be. I don't expect they will be.
"I respect all five of them, as I do all of my colleagues.
"It's a big deal to make a decision to cross the floor."
Labor's deputy leader Richard Marles said Mr Morrison had been wounded.
"The whole week has played out with the kind of horrible inevitability of a David Attenborough doco," Mr Marles said.
"Increasingly the Prime Minister is looking like the slowest wildebeest in the herd."
Cabinet ministers deny leak shows troubled government
Federal cabinet ministers on Friday morning assured the government remained unified despite a damaging leak revealing cabinet ministers had rejected a last-minute pitch by Mr Morrison to establish a federal corruption watchdog.
The ABC was told Mr Morrison floated a plan in cabinet to introduce the anti-corruption legislation in a bid to win the support of moderate Liberals on religious freedom laws.
But his most senior colleagues firmly opposed the idea, questioning Mr Morrison's judgement.
Ministers were reportedly concerned that the government could quickly lose control if a bill for an anti-corruption watchdog was introduced so close to an election.
That fear was proved genuine by the government's defeat in parliament on Thursday.
Asked about Mr Morrison's proposal to legislate the watchdog in return for support on the religious discrimination bill, Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said the issue needed to be considered carefully.
"We've got to get this right," he said.
"You can say an integrity commission fixes everything … they're two different issues."
But he said Mr Morrison's leadership was "solid".
"If someone wants to say, 'Who's who in the wooden canoe in Canberra?', if that's what they want to fascinate themselves on, mark it against them because they're not talking about Australia. They're talking about themselves," he said.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said characterisations of the cabinet meeting were "wildly inaccurate".
"We actually have a deeply united cabinet, and I don't care, I don't care if somebody is off on the side with differing reports," Mr Hunt said.
Other cabinet ministers have remained tight-lipped, as they assured the government remains unified.
Environment Minister Sussan Ley said she would not discuss what happens in cabinet.
"What I do say is this is the most cohesive cabinet," Ms Ley told ABC News Breakfast.
"It is a cabinet where everything is well considered and well discussed, and there is great collegiality.
"Prime Minister Morrison has shown the strongest leadership in any cabinet I've worked for."
Foreign Minister Marise Payne admonished the minister who leaked to journalists.
"I'm not going to comment on cabinet matters. And I regard such approaches as deeply disappointing," Senator Payne said.
