The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,536 Australians about which current and recent Ministers they had heard of

At the next federal election, the retirement of Bishop and Pyne leaves only two Ministers known by most of Australians: Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton. Two of the three most recognised female MPs are retiring, leaving Michaelia Cash as the most recognised female Minister at just 33% of those polled

Key points

• Julie Bishop (82% recognition) is still better known than the Prime Minister (77%)
• Three of the top five best known current or recent Ministers are leaving or not in Cabinet, four of the top ten
• Best known remaining female Coalition MP is Michaelia Cash
• These results underscore what a big loss Pyne is for Government

“This research underscores what a loss Julie Bishop and Christopher Pyne’s departures are for the Government,” said Ben Oquist, executive director of The Australia Institute.

“They are formidable political assets and seasoned media performers as evidenced by their consistently high recognition among the general public.

“In particular, for Julie Bishop to still be more recognised than the current Prime Minister of Australia is unprecedented.”