Malcolm Turnbull
BY KATE HUNTER
‘Why is US politics so much sexier than ours?’
That’s what I thought as I watched coverage of the US Presidential debate this week. And I don’t mean the Ryan Gosling kind of sexy , I mean sexy in a cooler, bigger, more inspiring kind of way.
Compared to Barack and Mitt (even the names are like movie characters), our Julia and Tony seem like Year 11 students battling it out for School Captain.
I’m ho-hum about the pair of them. In fact, I’m blah about most politicians.
Except Malcolm Turnbull.
I bloody love him. Yes, I do. Let me count the ways (and the whys):
1. In the face of the past few weeks’ shit-storm, Turnbull remained calm. He can make an eloquent speech when required, and say nothing when it’s not. Maybe he’s toeing a party line … perhaps he’s giving others rope. Whatever – I admire his restraint.
2. He’s over 50 but with a young mindset. He’s interested in gay marriage, global warming, an Australian republic. His ideas mightn’t be workable (rain manufacture was never going to be a goer) but I love a big idea and Malcolm is open to them.
3. He’s rich. I figure Turnbull’s not in parliament for the pension plan. And heck, if he can keep himself out of debt and cashed up, he can do it for Australia.
4. He’s married to person arguably more remarkable than himself.
5. He doesn’t appear to be THAT DESPERATE to be PM. There are plenty of other things he could do. I think we’d be lucky to have him.
To summarise. If Turnbull was leader of the Libs, voting in the next federal election would be easy. I’d be done in two minutes. Then I’d enjoy a sausage in bread; confident our country’s future is in the hands of a statesman, not a run-of-the-mill pollie.
Loading ...Do you think Malcolm Turnbull should be the Opposition leader? Prime Minister? If he were the leader of the coalition, would it change your vote at the next election?
Comments
188 Comments so far
When Turnbull was leader of the opposition (and he “knifed” Brendan Nelson to get the role, mind you) his approval ratings were as low at 20% – maybe all of his supporters should have showed it back then?
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1. that was around one thousand years ago and in a whole different political climate and landscape than currently, and
2. that wasn’t a knife, THIS is a knife *shows pic of Julia Gillard with a knife behind Kevin Rudd, PM at the time*
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I absolutely agree. I’d like to see him put some dignity back into politics. I’ve voted for independents in both state and federal elections but will switch for Malcolm. After watching Joe Hockey interviewed by Annabel Crabb, I would like to see him as Malcolm’s deputy.
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I would change my vote. I have never voted Lib, but I would for Malcolm.
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I really like Joe Hockey as well, I would vote liberals if Malcom or Joe were leading. As it is I would NEVER vote for Abbot, & Julia Gillard isn’t much better, but I definitely think we need a massive change.
I can only assume that the powers that be are taking note, so hopefully sometime soon a change is made
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Yes I’d have Turnbull as PM if we had to have a Liberal governmentt. We’d be a laughing stock if Abbott got in.
But don’t forget the Liberals traditionally favour the upper classes and Labor caters to the middle and lower classes, who are the ones who REALLY need the help. This fact is often lost in “personality politics.”
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Labor help the lower classes? You’re kidding aren’t you? For a start, there is no place for the class war that Labor exploits to gain power. The ALP leadership has for years groomed relationships with some of Australia’s biggest business leaders. Should I remind you that it was the ALP who changed media ownership laws in the 80′s to allow Murdoch the influence that he has now? What about the close friendship between Hawke and Sir Peter Abeles?
All the ALP achieves is keeping people down, they never pursue policies to lift anyone from the bottom, but do nothing but redistribute money from the working middle classes.
It’s an absolute fallacy that the ALP look after the lower classes, they do nothing but keep them there.
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“Redistribute money from the working middle classes” is the best rubric for labour policy I have ever heard. Well said Anon.
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I so agree! I also love Joe Hockey!
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I agree that Malcolm is a charming guy. However, being a charismatic guy is not a good enough reason to vote for him, nor are reasons Kate has listed.
He’s calm and shows restraint- so does Tanya Plibersek, Penny Wong, Kate Ellis, Bob Brown etc.
He has a young mindset? Global warming, gay marriage and becoming a republic are not young people issues, they are some of the most significant issues of our time. You’d be hard pressed to find a Liberal or Labor politician who was not “interested” in these issues. And as others have mentioned Malcolm voted against gay marriage a few months ago.
The fact that he has kept himself debt free has no bearing whatsoever on his ability to manage a trillion dollar plus economy. I’m sure many many politicians are debt free and very rich as well. And the comment about the pension plan is also irrelevant- most politicians could make a lot more money outside politics, a very small number would be in it for the pension plan.
At the end of the day, charisma does not matter. What matters is the policies that the party will implement when they are in government. And that’s the problem with this Malcolm worship, the Liberal party’s policies will not be any different with him as the leader.
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Bob Brown restrained? That’s not even funny.
Bob Brown did nothing but scaremongering. It was Bob Brown who insisted that it wouldn’t rain again due to climate warming, then when Australia was flooded in 3 states last year it was Bob Brown who said the floods came because of climate change (note the slight but significant change in terminology), it was Bob Brown who sucked in several ALP state governments into spending billions of dollars on desalination plants which have been put in mothballs (Adelaide), or that desalinate sea water so they can pump it back into the sea (Victoria) or are simply not needed (Sydney). There’s restraint for you. Tanya Plibersek has never displayed restraint in her life, I doubt she knows what the word means. She participated in the disgusting vilification of Tony Abbott as a sexist by manipulating the media and targeting individual phrases out of context from the entire speech. She’s a good politician, but restrained? She’s as restrained as Belinda Neale at a cheap restaurant.
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I think Julia Gillard has really exposed our inbuilt preference for a white, greying handsome man for our PM.
Before i get shut down, I say this as an ALP voter who supports our PM. Most of my friends are card carrying ALP supporters who openly admit they would prefer someone like stephen smith. of course they will still vote for the ALP, and would never vote libs.
i think malcolm fills those desires for many. he fits the bill perfectly, cookie cutter style. i know he is a decent bloke, i just think he sells a promise that he wouldn’t fulfill. not even come close to fulfilling.
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I dunno Anonymous. I admire lots of female politicians – Anna Bligh, Lucy Turnbull, Hilary Clinton, Penny Wong. I was RAPT when Julia Gillard became PM – I admired her as Education minister and would probably prefer her as PM. As you say though, what Turnbull says he’d like to do is at odds with what he can do. I get that but I’d like to see him try.
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Could not agree more!!!!
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In reading all these comments one thing emerges – we want the standard of political discourse/activity raised and many see Malcolm Turnbull as a charismatic person who will do this. The point has been made that it’s a job for more than one man. At the moment, the electorate lacks the confidence to empower either a labour or liberal parliament, so the parliament is hung and will remain so until a party, perhaps a new one, lifts political dialogue into a more acceptable standard. What if we voted in MT as PM and then for some reason, unknown to us at this stage, he was replaced by TA, as was KR by JG. All the posts indicate that we are looking for all those elusive personal qualitites represented by abstract nouns like ‘virtue’, ‘integrity’, ‘temperance’, ‘wisdom’ , ‘dignity’, ‘Justice’. I’d like to see all these qualities in our politicians too. Most of all I expect them to be irreproachable and beyond suspicion of corruption. Malcolm would be one of a handful who qualify, and I include Bob Carr in this group.
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His dog blog is what gets me!
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Yes yes yes
I want a smart charasmatic leader rather than one that spends their time behaving like a spoilt school kid
Please make the change liberals !!!
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Brilliant article and you have echoed my thoughts
Have always been a liberal voter but thinking I may change at next election as I cant stand Abbotts arrogance and lack of positive policies
Malcolm seems seriously intelligent and willing to disagree with his party for critical issues (climate change)
He seems like theh statesman I would want to represent me – in comparison to Abbott who is an embarrassment to have on the world stage
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6. He loves animals, especially dogs. His dogs even used to have their own blog.
7. :Long after he became successful, he still caught the bus to work every day – he liked to keep close to his constituents, and that it was more environmentally friendly.
8. When he WAS Leader of the Opposition, and the time came to choose between standing by his principles, or retaining the leadership by caving on climate change, he chose the former.
What’s not to love! *swoon*
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Yet his party, including him, STILL supports live export. That’s not loving animals, that’s loving SOME animals and having complete contempt for others. Please, please let’s not get fooled by sweet talk and smooth PR from our pollies!
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All I can say is dont make the same mistake queenslanders made and give the liberal party a landslide victory cause campbell cant do just does what he wants to unoposed. Queenslanders trusted him and liked him. Now lots of public servants no longer have their jobs and the ones left behind would be struggling to get the work done. Plus stressing that they could still lose their jobs cause he rushed through parliment a bill to take job security away unoposed. Dont believe what the liberals say cause they only care about big business. Dont make the same mistakes in federal politics. Cant stand Abbott at all but Turnball will have to follow liberal policies too.
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Turnbull will have to follow Liberal policies?
That’s just silly. Unlike the ALP, the Liberal Party policies are determined by the elected representatives entirely. The people you vote for are the sole determinants of policy.
The ALP, and the “faceless men” (who aren’t faceless but they are not elected) determine policy at the ALP conferences. I certainly despise the thought of some party hack who has never stood for public office or some chardonnay socialist at the ALP National Conference determine what policies the Government will pursue. The the poor ALP parliamentarians are bound to follow those policies and vote for them in Parliament. The ALP couldn’t be more non democratic if it tried.
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I can’t comment on how the ALP operate, but with the LNP in Queensland there would appear to be only one man running the show. Non-Cambellesque policies need not be raised…
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Just wanted to pipe up that once you turn 50 you don’t automatically turn into an old fuddyduddy. As well being supportive of gay marriage, concerned about global warming and wanting a republic, many us are still into music, can download content from the internet, and have a considered opinion on what shoes look best with skinny jeans.
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The liberal party need to realise people don’t like Tony Abbott and would seriously vote liberal if Malcolm Turnbull were the leader. Intelligent and erudite. Young outook and doesn’t need to be in politics. Wonderful wife and family. Our answer to the Clintons!
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We all know what Bill Clinton was famous for, don’t we ? Do we need an Australian version thereof ?
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I wonder if history will remember Clinton as a statesman or a man who got a blow job and lied about it? I’m hoping he’ll be remembered as the husband of the first female president of the USA …
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Hilary won’t be President Kate, she had her shot, and she blew it.
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Maybe. Hilary Clinton will be 69 in 2016 – is that too old? Mia wrote a great (and controversial) about it last year http://www.mamamia.com.au/news/hillary-clinton-is-she-too-old-to-be-president-201/
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See if you can get hold of Andrew Denton’s interview of Bill Clinton on Enough Rope. It was brilliant and he explored both Clinton as a statesman and Clinton getting blown in the oval office, and asked questions of Clinton that looked to the effect of the blow job on his overall legacy. It’s a brilliant interview.
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Christine Milne is my preferred. All of you commenting on gay marriage and climate change:- the Greens is the ONLY major party where gay marriage is 100% supported, and the environment is a focus. Turnbull voted AGAINST gay marriage and the current Libs dont even believe in climate change!! The Greens also support the NDIS, banning live export, banning sow stalls and have a more sound economic policy than either party.
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Thankyou. The voice of reason.
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The reality is that many Australians are more concerned with paying their power bills than gay marriage, issues like cost of living are going to be more important than climate change. While theses are issues to many MM readers & I don’t deny their importance mr & mrs average living in outer wherever west don’t really give a toss, they are more concerned with how the hell can afford to pay the mortgage, feed the kids & pay the bills.
As much as we may de-cry those opposed to such a basic right as marriage it is not an election winner.
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exactly! you have hit the nail on the head.
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Jackie you may have read recently that the impact of the carbon-tax, only a few months into implementation, has already had an enormous impact on emissions. With more Australians demanding sustainable energies the cost of power bills (an evil that we must all deal with, unfortunately, even Greens voters) will fall. Coal is incredibly inefficient, and gas is dangerous. You’d be foolish to not invest in a cheaper, cleaner future.
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yep, those important issues may be resolved by the Greens, but I still think small little additional issues like jobs and the economy also play a part in our day to day lives, and in these ‘minor secondary areas’, lets face it, the Greens policies are just loopy. Please please lets agree to keep them as a loud minority that may influence some issues, not a genuine policy maker.
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I’d be really interested in what ‘loopy’ policies you’re talking about. The problem is, the conservative parties keep spouting rubbish that the Greens are ‘extreme’ (what does that even mean? It’s just a stupid buzz word) and they’re the ones getting all the media time. Does anyone even bother to actually research their policies?
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The SMH economic reporter, Peter Martin did. He found that Green economic policies are the most in line with mainstream economic thinking of all the parties.
Here’s the link:
http://www.petermartin.com.au/2012/07/labor-is-wrong-it-is-greens-who-are.html
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The Greens are loopy. Go to their website and read their policies, they are straight from the communist manifesto. Bob Brown wanted to shut down any branch of the media that didn’t agree with him.
The greens aren’t called watermelons for nothing, they are green on the outside and red on the inside, with the added danger that they, if they ever got into government, would do their utmost to shut down just about every industry that uses power. They would be worse than the ALP in running up debt to finance populist policies.
They are extreme and are basically kept in check because they don’t have enough people in Parliament.
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I love Malcolm. He should ditch the Libs and form his own party. Show the pitiful remnants of the Labor party what a proper socially progressive party looks like.
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More socially progressive than Lib or Labor? Its called ‘The Greens’!
No need to start a new party when we already have the right one 
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You wrote exactly what I was thinking as I scrolled through comments
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If only we could reignite the democrats!
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I agree!!! *swooooons*
And I’m a card carrying member and employee of the ALP!!!!!
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Oh yes. Lurve the Big M.
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As much as I respect Malcolm’s reasoned, dignified, progressive aura, and even if that party ‘rethought’ their ‘strategy’ and Turnbull ended up in their top slot, NOT IN A GAZILLION YEARS OF SUNDAYS would I ever vote for my local boys-club Lib candidate just to see Turnbull get the gig. My local rep is none other than the bully-boy Abbott himself (@#&*$!!!!).
The only solution is Turnbull leaving that antiquated, cold, prejudicial void of the dark side and finding the light, once and for all (get out of there while you still can Mister Turnbull!). Another Statesman Malcolm (Fraser) is skewing more the other way these days too.
Take the lead Mister Turnbull, start your own party – there’s a LOT of dissatisfied voters out there at the moment…
just my little six pence worth of food for thought.
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I like your thinking. 100% agree. I would vote for Turnball…but I couldn’t do it if he was fronting the LIbs – it takes more than one man (or woman!) to make a government work.
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I’m with you Kate, with Turnbull as leader this “pseudo-socialist” (a Bradley quote) would be voting for the coalition for the first time in my life.
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Yep. Turnbull is the only contender in the Liberal Party. The only problem is to get him as PM you’d have to be prepared to put up with the rest of the disaster that is that side of politics right now. Would you really be prepared to do that- think about it!
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I was a conference at the Hyatt in Canberra last year and I had the good fortune to see him getting out of a taxi – I felt like a groupie, getting on the phone to my mum immediately “I just saw malcolm and I think he looked at me!!!!!!!!”
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I saw him at the airport once, & I felt like a giddy schoolgirl in the 60′s seeing The Beatles, I almost screamed with excitement!
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This is shaming me to admit – but I actually find Malcolm sexy in the sexy (Ryan Gosling if he floats your boat) kind of way…. except the questionable Fonz moment he had wearing a leather jacket on Q & A – Love him sick
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What yourself and Elizabeth said. You may have both read my mind. If the coalition want a guaranteed election win, they should vote him in as leader stat.
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True Liberal voters hate Turnbull because he is too left, and Labor voters like him because he is a close as a Liberal can get to being a lefty. I think the Liberal party dont want Turnbull as their leader because he doesnt really represent the true values of the party.
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There are plently of us moderates in the Liberal Party Kat, but I get your point, much like the majority of Labor Party members didnt think KRudd was for them too. Perhaps all us Aussies want is someone to weigh up each issue on its merits rather than this left wing, right wing crap that seems to hold us all down!
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I am usually a Liberal voter although this election I might be swinging, to me a moderate Liberal I see MT as exactly what the party is about, free enterprise, he has built a successful career in the private sector. I believe that MT would make an excellent PM, one all Australians could be proud of I just cant see it happening.
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I agree with your free enterprise comment about MT the problem with the TA vision of free enterprise is that it comes at the expense of the average worker (Gina Rynehart we must work for much less while she gets much richer). If MT got to be Liberal leader then there would hope that there would be a corresponding moderating of there industria l relations policies before I would vote for them. However MT is the statesperson we need lead the country, though I’m not anti Julia she just doesn’t quite have a statesperson persona and I think her mistakes come from a lack of confidence in herself.
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Agree, I don’t dislike Julia but I feel she has been totally manipulated by spin doctors & pollsters. I get the feeling that Malcolm is more of his own person, he seems unaffected by internal party disagreements. Hope to hell he sacks Bernardi!!
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You should probably do some research into TA if that is what you believe he stands for (Not that I am a TA fan.) Tony is from a wing of the party that is very passionate about workers rights. An very high profile essay was recently written about it.
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he WAS from that part of the party then introduced work choices. i think we can all agree workers rights are not something he is still passionate about
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This bothers me for so many reasons. Firstly he voted against same sex marriage so he’s not socially progressive when it counts. Secondly, I don’t agree with the notion that you vote for a single person rather than the party as a whole. As much as I admire what Mr. Turnbull has achieved, I would never be able to vote for him as PM on account of the backward policies that his party endorse.
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I may be wrong on this, but I thought the Liberal party made their MPs vote down party lines, so he had to vote no?
Correct me if I’m wrong!
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Technically in order to tow the party line he had to vote no, but there is always the option in any vote to cross the floor. He could have chosen not to be present in parliament that day in order to miss the vote entirely – probably not the greatest option but his credibility would have been slightly more intact than it is in many other’s eyes.. FYI, Kevin Rudd also voted no on same sex marriage…
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Actually, a front bencher can’t cross the floor without losing his spot on the front bench.
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Actually, seeding clouds to force rain can be done. You just need the right sort of clouds.
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That my friend, is gold.
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BIG Malcolm fan – don’t get me wrong, but you need to get your facts straight – Malcolm voted AGAINST gay marriage in our last local election.
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Are you forgetting that Malcolm Turnbull was so unpopular that it had to result in a re-election of the opposition leader?
Now you like him, after he was given the opportunity to lead and failed?
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Shelly what we need to remember was that MT was up against an untarnished Kevin Rudd, back when almost all of Australia was totally in LOVE with KRudd. Put him up against an unpopular leader & he would romp it in!
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Are you saying that if it was Malcolm vs Julia, Julia would be gone, gone, gone ?
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I thin that even Brendon Nelson could beat Julia now….not that I’m advocating that!
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Or a drovers dog
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He has my vote IF he (and his party) publicly support the NDIS.
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Exactly what I said last week. I have a lot of respect for Gillard as a leader and the only thing that will make me reconsider voting for her at the next election is if Turnbull is leading the opposition.
Even then, however, Abbott has done a pretty good job of destroying any confidence I may have had for the other people who are in his party.
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I totally concur – and people I speak to have been saying the same for a while now. There’s no way Tony Abbott speaks for me and will ever get my vote – but with Malcolm at the helm? well now we’re talking integrity! That would be the game-changer, right there for me.
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I couldn’t agree more Kate. I have voted Labor all my life but I would change in an instant for Malcolm Turnbull. It’s not his party’s policies but his integrity and I think he would become ‘our Kennedy’. There is not much difference in policy these days anyway.
Unfortunately I think he is a Sydney/NSW person and the rest of the country don’t know him like we do. Also I think the Libs are a shoe-in next election so why would they risk him. But please hang in there, Malcolm, I am convinced your time will come. I can’t stomach Tony Abbott at all.
I hope his party is listening to public opinion.
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I would vote for him in a minute. I am completely uninspired by either option at the moment, and rightly or wrongly, feel the grab for power is more important to Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott than the future of Australia. Liberal party, do yourself a favour and get this man the leadership!
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Despite being a Labor voter, I dont mind having Turnbull as my local member. I understand the appeal being described in the comments here.
Unfortunately Turnbull isa minority in his party and his colleagues are far mroe conservative than he is. That’s his biggest impediment to ever becoming leader again.
It would make for a very interesting election though. In a way I think it would be harder for Labor to run against a moderate like Turnbull than an conservative like Abbott. Would be interesting to see!
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If Turnbull was to join the Labor party then I would consider it, but as a Liberal the party he belongs to is way too backward for my way of thinking.
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Malcolm, Malcolm! He’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can!
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Hear, hear
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i tired to find out each pollies policies, i tried to find out what they had mentioned in parliament, what had been voted on, what had been passed.
other than reading Hansard, there is no information!!!
i think next election i am voting shooters party, at least i know what they want
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I am quite obsessed with Malcolm and (with an understanding of our political system) am lucky that if I voted Liberal, my member is also more aligned dear Malcolm’s ideals than with Abbott’s. I feel that he has a true vision for Australia’s future and doesn’t seem to be just on the negative bandwagon that the other Liberal or Labor MPs do. He is happy to agree with the Labor party on policies – such as the emissions trading (which was his downfall) as he doesnt see any sense for the opposition to oppose, just because they can. What an amazing idea – politicians actually doing something positive for the country. However, from my understanding he is not widely liked by senior members of the Liberal party. When he was leader, his style was more CEO than collaborative and perhaps too forward-thinking for the largely conservative liberal voting base. Which is a great shame, as I find the liberal party so out of touch and as a long time Liberal member, they dont actually represent me anymore. That said, neither do any of the other parties and as a pretty normal person, I find it crazy that neither side of the argument is bothering to change this.
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Hear. Hear. Cory Bernardi is more representative of the Liberal Party as it is now than Malcolm Turnbull. How did they get there?
In a two party system, if one party runs off the rails there’s nowhere to go, so you stick with the functional party even if you hate them until they run off the rails too.
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I think Turnbull is sitting quietly in the background, ready to make a run for leader of the opposition in time for the next election. I’m thinking some time early in the new year. And I hope he does. If he’s not the leader of the Libs at the next election, I don’t know who I’ll vote for…….
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i hope you are right!
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Yup, me too. I have never voted Liberal and always vote Labor in the House of Reps and Green in the Senate but Turnbull would get my vote.
And for those who say he is just like Rudd – what planet are you on? Rudd is DESPERATE to be PM and comes across as insincere and smarmy. If Rudd were leader, I would donkey vote.
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Oh Kate, you always speak my language.
Agree with every word you have written!!
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Ugh. As an Aussie living in the States, I’d just like to say: American politics might be ‘sexy’ but there’s not much under all the hype. Politicians look great, but their hands are tied by legally sanctioned corruption.
In the US, politicians and political parties do NOT have to declare their financial backers (google: super PACs) which is ridiculous, because it means that big corporations have so much more sway than they should. Think: big tobacco, big pharma, the gun lobby, anti-family planning brigade, anti-abortion lobby etc
Would much rather the (hopefully) more honest version of Australian politics.
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Em I think ‘more honest version of Australian politics’ is why a lot of people still prefer to have the Westminster system and reject a republic, because the Westminster model works well for more people than the republican model in the US, which appears to work well for only some people and the others don’t matter.
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A republic can be based on a Westminster model – they’re not mutually exclusive.
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If there’s one thing the Americans do well, it’s batshit crazy
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If politics was a TV show, Julia and Tony would be sniping at each other on Big Brother and we’d all switch over to watch Everyone Loves Malcolm.
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Brilliant!
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Malcolm in the middle ?
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Before the 2007 election I met Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Garrett at a climate change debate. From then on I was sure he would be PM one day. I cheered when he briefly became Opposition Leader and, since Abbott got the job, have always said it should be Turnbull.
I never thought I’d be in a position where I’d vote Coalition, but if Turnbull was the leader I think the next election would be a lot easier for me.
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If we were to become a republic, does that mean our whole voting/election system would automatically change? What would it mean for local/state/federal govt? Or does it not impact anything unless we choose for it to?
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No, it would only affect the appointment of head of state, in other words, replacing the role of the queen (and her representative in Australia, the Governer General) . The biggest issue is around how the head of state would be appointed, be it by popular vote or by appointment by pariament, and this side of the debate is more the reason why we have not become a republic yet.
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