Controversial radio host Alan Jones has opened up about his role in last week’s Liberal leadership spill, saying he contacted MPs to say the party had to change direction.
“I contacted certain MPs, yes, and encouraged them to recognise that if they wanted to go, Australia wanted to go the same way, there had to be change,” he told the ABC TV’s 7.30 program on Monday.
“I didn’t turn against Turnbull, but I turned against the (energy) policy,” he said.
Mr Jones says he supported Mr Turnbull at the last federal election, but the “writing was on the wall” for the Liberals.
“I tried to help Malcolm Turnbull at the last election because I thought it was a better option than the then Labor Party,” he said.
“It is Australia that matters here.
“When people can’t afford electricity, for goodness sake.”
Mr Jones said he contacted Liberal MP John Alexander, whose children he is godfather to, and urged a change over the “critical stuff”.
Listen: The Mamamia Out Loud discuss the bizarre week in politics. Post continues after audio.
In his outgoing speech, Mr Turnbull said he had been toppled by a “determined insurgency” backed by powerful voices in the media.
The former prime minister also made reference to the media the day before he was turfed from the top job.
“A minority in the party room, supported by others outside the parliament, have sought to bully, intimidate others into making this change of leadership that they’re seeking,” he said last week.
Top Comments
Mediawatch on Monday had a great report on how 2gb and sky influenced the nervous Neddies in the lnp into going after Turnbull. He wasn't conservative enough for them and if Morrison doesn't toe the line they will go after him
Why was he against the NEG? EVERYONE agreed on that - Liberal, Labor and business. It was only the hardline, diehard, fossil fuel conservatives that did not. Honestly, in my view, anyone fighting against the moral generational and ecological imperative we have to transition to sustainable energy (which will be cheaper overall, in every aspect) is either an idiot, has a financial interest in coal or is being paid off.
Do we people still listen to this old wind bag anyway?
The sticking points about the NEG were, it did not lower power prices and Australia would be the only country in the world to legislate into law the Paris agreement.
And that is a problem why? We should ALL be aiming to reduce emissions as much as possible. At the rate we’ve gone the planet is pretty much screwed anyway - welcome hothouse Earth of 21st C.
And the NEG will lower prices. Although pretty sure power bills will be least of our worries when the whole nation is in drought and most of the inhabited coastline is submerged.