Former Liberal executive lashes Malcolm Turnbull, urges Peter Dutton support
A former high-ranking NSW Liberal has called on Malcolm Turnbull to stay loyal to Peter Dutton or “get out” of the Liberal Party.
NSW
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A former high-ranking NSW Liberal has called on Malcolm Turnbull to stay loyal to Peter Dutton or “get out” of the party.
The former prime minister, who has been critical of the Liberal Party and its policies for several years, recently hit out at the opposition leader on Channel Ten’s The Project, labelling Mr Dutton a “thug”.
“I think that’s something we should contemplate with dread,” Mr Turnbull said when asked if Mr Dutton would make a good prime minister.
“Well, he’s a thug,” he said.
“Peter’s got one tune that he plays and it’s been all his political life and that is division and animosity, generally targeted at immigrants.
“I couldn’t think of anyone less suited to be prime minister of a multicultural society like Australia.
“There’s no point pulling my punches, it’s an important question and I’ve given you an honest answer.”
On Thursday, expelled NSW Liberal Executive Matthew Camenzuli said the comments damaged the party.
“I think it’s all about authenticity, it’s about the party, sticking to its purpose and backing in its leader,” he told 2GB’s Ben Fordham.
“And when you start to see these sorts of things that we’ve been seeing recently, it gives the public cause for concern.
“When the Liberal Party includes people that prefer the Labor Party, they probably don’t belong in the Liberal Party.
“It confuses the message and it doesn’t give people hope that when they do vote Liberal they are going to get a Liberal way.”
Mr Camenzuli urged Malcolm Turnbull to stay loyal.
“If he wants to be a Liberal and taken seriously as a Liberal then get in behind Peter Dutton or get out.”
Mr Dutton dismissed Mr Turnbull’s comments on Thursday morning, calling them “sad” while suggesting the former prime minister may have been disingenuous to him during his time as leader.
“He appointed me to be Home Affairs Minister, he was very open in private with Mathias Cormann and I and others, that we were central to the success of the government,” he told 2GB’s Ray Hadley.
“He never had a curse word or a derogatory word against me, I just think people can see through it and I wish him the best.”
Despite the comments on The Project, Mr Dutton still sang Mr Turnbull’s praises.
“I think it’s sad and I think for the former leader of our country I want to do nothing more than hold them up and praise them because they’ve led our party and they deserve that respect,” he said to Mr Hadley.
It is not the first time Mr Turnbull has publicly criticised Mr Dutton. Earlier this year, he also referred to the opposition leader as a “thug” during an episode of the ABC docuseries “Nemesis,” which focused on the aftermath of the 2018 leadership spill.
At the time, Mr Dutton dismissed the comment with a laugh.
In 2022 after Mr Camenzuli was expelled from the Liberal Party, he took Scott Morrison, Dominic Perrottet and Liberal figure Christine McDiven to court after they took control of the NSW Liberal Party branch to hand-pick candidates for the federal election.
He argued the federal wing of the party had no right to override the will of the state branch, but his court challenge was unsuccessful.
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