‘He’s not like the two Julias, he’s the same Malcolm’

KELLY O’Dwyer was forced to defend Malcolm Turnbull on Q&A after a surprising zinger from the Greens’ Adam Bandt.

“THESE are my principles and if you don’t like them I’ve got others.”

That was the scathing view of the Prime Minister by Green opponent Adam Bandt when Monday night’s Q&A kicked off with a discussion of which Malcolm Turnbull Australians should listen to and believe in.

Was it the climate change believing, same-sex marriage supporting Malcolm we used to know in previous stints as Liberal leader? Or is it Malcolm post-September 2015, when he seized back the leadership and sent Tony Abbott to the backbench?

The first question from the audience on the ABC program was put to Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer. The questioner, Sam, began by saying Mr Turnbull lost the leadership in 2009 “based on his principles” over support for the Rudd Government Emissions Trading Scheme.

“Who am I voting for in this election 2009 Malcolm Turnbull or the 2016 Malcolm Turnbull?” Sam asked.

Ms O’Dwyer said there was no confusion about what her leader stood for.

“Malcolm Turnbull hasn’t changed. Malcolm Turnbull is exactly the same person that he always was. He’s not like the two Julias, he’s the same Malcolm and he’s the Malcolm we all love.”

This should be the Climate Change Election & Malcolm has turned away, says @AdamBandt. Willox wants substance #QandA https://t.co/rXqluufjSP

— ABC Q&A (@QandA) May 9, 2016

Q&A host Tony Jones, Assistant Treasurer Kelly O’Dwyer and Green MP Adam Bandt.

Sam — and others in the audience — weren’t so sure, judging by the head shaking and laughter from the Melbourne studio audience.

Ms O’Dwyer tried again, mentioning the enormous success Mr Turnbull has had in business, his contribution in cabinet and threw in the “jobs and growth” slogan that Ministers and Government MPs have been speaking of in recent days.

Host Tony Jones asked Sam if he was convinced. He wasn’t.

“I guess the crux of my question is it appears that in order to get the leadership of the Liberal Party, Malcolm Turnbull bowed to the far right of his party. That concerns me and I’m sick of politicians pandering to the extremes of their party and I just wish they were more forthright and upfront with us. We’re an intelligent populous and we’re here to make this country on the right track.”

Ms O’Dwyer acknowledged her leader’s views on issues like same-sex marriage and climate change were “well known” but others in the Government had different views.

Adam Bandt, the Melbourne-based Greens MP, was asked for his view about Mr Turnbull and got loud applause when he said: “I think Malcolm Turnbull’s approach is, “These are my principles and if you don’t like them I’ve got others.”

Adam Bandt ... Questioned Malcolm Turnbull’s principles.

He went onto say Mr Turnbull “made a deal with the hard right of his party, the climate denying rump” who was bullied into making changes to the Safe Schools program.

“That, I think, was a litmus test for what’s to come and I know a lot of people would be hoping that he’ll become better after the election. I think the signs tell us the opposite and it’s very, very telling — you mentioned climate change, go through the whole Budget speech — I know the Treasurer gave it, the PM had a hand — no mention of climate change. This should be the climate change election.”

On the subject of home ownership, Innes Willox, chief executive Australian Industry Group, said he and many others couldn’t follow the PM’s suggestion when he spoke last week of parents helping their children into home ownership.

“The issue of housing as part of the Australian dream ...,” he said, before adding stamp duty was “one of the biggest rip-offs of all time..”

Buying a house now costs 15x the average income of young people, says @ALeighMP. @KellyODwyer disagrees #QandA https://t.co/MmYErtRuoH

— ABC Q&A (@QandA) May 9, 2016

Labor MP Andrew Leigh.

He said the Government needed to “think big and bold about tax” and called for a proper debate about the issue not the “political fight” that was currently playing out.

Mr Willox said what Australia needed was “substance over style” if it was going to successfully reshape its economy to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

“We are suffering from not having the debates and that’s why you can feel the frustration in the room and you can feel the frustration in our broader community and in the business community most importantly, that we’re just not having the debates we have to have and people are sick

of it.

Labor MP Andrew Leigh, the Shadow Assistant Treasurer, told the audience there were people throughout his electorate who couldn’t afford their own home.

“In the early 1990s, buying a house in a big Australian city cost five times the average young Australian’s income, now it’s up to 15 times and yet the Prime Minister’s advice to young people is to get yourself rich parents. Poor Malcolm. He really was born with a silver foot in his mouth!”

“How long did you work on that one?,” Mr Jones asked, to laughter.

Originally published as ‘He’s not like the two Julias, he’s the same Malcolm’