FRONTBENCHER Helen Coonan has stepped down from the frontbench, likely clearing the way for the high-profile Nationals Senate leader Barnaby Joyce to get her shadow finance job.
The Opposition breathed a sigh of relief at the unexpectedly good weekend byelection results, which make a March election on climate change even less likely than it appeared last week.
Senator Coonan said the change of leadership to Tony Abbott was an ''opportune time'' to allow new talent to step up.
Mr Abbott ''should have a free hand to choose those in the line-up to take to the next election who will be available to serve in the longer term'', said Senator Coonan, 62, adding it was entirely her decision.
This gives Mr Abbott four shadow ministry vacancies for his reshuffle, to be announced early this week.
Victorian Kevin Andrews, who acted as stalking horse to bring Malcolm Turnbull down, will be rewarded with a spot. Mr Andrews' interests are health, families, or the attorney-general's issues.
Fellow Victorian Greg Hunt, who is environment spokesman, will become principal spokesman on climate. There will no longer be an emissions trading spokesman now that Mr Abbott has ruled out a trading scheme.
Senator Joyce, who has agreed to go onto the frontbench despite the curbs it will put on his freedoms, would not confirm his job but told the ABC: ''If I've done anything in my life unfortunately it's the mundane work of being an accountant.''
Kelly O'Dwyer, 32, an investment banker and former adviser to Peter Costello, who previously held Higgins, got nearly 54 per cent of the primary vote, a 0.34 per cent swing. There was no Labor candidate; her main opponent was the Greens' Clive Hamilton, who polled 33 per cent.
Liberal sources stressed the party had polled strongly in two party terms in the more ''suburban'' parts of the electorate, such as the booths of Chadstone, Carnegie North, Carnegie Upper, Alamein, Murrumbeena and Ashburton, where it had not performed so well in 2007. The Higgins swing to the Liberals in two-party terms is about 2.5 per cent.
In the ultra-safe Bradfield, Brendan Nelson's old seat, former telecommunications executive Paul Fletcher won easily, despite a primary vote swing of nearly 4.5 per cent against him. Labor did not run there either, with the Greens' Susie Gemmell polling nearly 26 per cent. The Bradfield swing to the Liberals was 0.4 per cent.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd did not comment on the byelections yesterday. Greens leader Bob Brown claimed the result was a ''remarkable setback for the Liberals'' with the Greens pushing them ''to their lowest-ever vote'' in Higgins and Bradfield despite Labor not standing.
Mr Abbott explained the lack of backlash against the Liberals after weeks of internal conflict by the fact the issue had been resolved by the leadership change. ''I think that once it's resolved people look forward rather than look back,'' he said.
He said the results reflected that people were concerned about the costs of an emissions trading scheme on their family budget.
Apart from Senator Coonan's spot, Mr Abbott has other shadow ministry spots vacant with Mr Turnbull sitting on the backbench, and Margaret May and Chris Pearce retiring at the election. Immigration spokeswoman Sharman Stone may be moved after criticism of her performance.
Asked about the discipline of the frontbench, Senator Joyce said it was a bit like going back to accountancy. ''You concentrate on the file that's in front of you,'' he said.
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