Piers Akerman: Turnbull’s new climate panel role will cost Berejiklian

The worst former living Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull has been appointed a plum job overseeing a touchy-feely climate change panel. He doesn’t deserve it, Piers Akerman writes.

The Easter story is an annual reminder of the imperfection and frailty of humanity, but

given the wide-ranging failures in political and public life over the past year, we hardly need reminding of imperfection in 2021.

Internationally, we are witnessing the rise of China as the greatest threat to Western liberal democracy since the Axis nations — Nazi Germany, fascist Italy and militaristic Japan — waged war on civilisation just over 80 years ago.

It is astonishing that even though these hostile forces plunged the globe into World War II within living memory and that there are many who lived through the dark days of the Cold War, the brutally repressive Communist Party’s domination of China has little resonance with the millennial generations.

The rounding up and imprisonment, institutionalised rape, organ harvesting and routine torture of Uighur people, even as the democratic institutions of Hong Kong are extinguished, should be reason enough to shun China but nations like New Zealand, under the sainted leadership of Jacinda Ardern are still cosying up to the brutal Communist regime in return for what are really paltry economic favours.

The tardiness of the West to respond has encouraged Russia’s Vladimir Putin to follow China’s inhuman lead and form alliances with anti-democratic governments in the Islamist-torn nations of the Middle East.

But we hardly need to look overseas for flawed leadership when we have enough stupidity to deal with at home.

Nationally, the hubristic Morrison government is unnecessarily struggling to meet its own vaccine commitments and state governments, Labor and Liberal, are dealing with problems of their own creation.

Malcolm Turnbull has been appointed to a climate change panel. Picture: AAP/Mick Tsikas

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian, a prisoner of the left-wing moderate faction, has appointed the worst former living Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull to a plum job overseeing a touchy-feely climate change panel.

Turnbull deserves nothing from any Liberal government in the country after spending the days since his colleagues wisely rejected his flawed leadership attacking Liberal Party MPs and policies, and even raising doubts about the apparent suicide death of a woman whose friends have alleged was raped as a 15-year-old by then 17-year-old Morrison Minister Christian Porter 33 years ago and suggesting that an inquest was needed to question the cause of her tragic death.

When leading law firm MinterEllison’s then chief executive Annette Kimmitt exhibited her astonishing naivety in a company-wide email expressing displeasure at the fact that the firm was representing Porter, she parted company. Turnbull’s ponderings are equally offensive.

His seething dislike of those who came to know him and consequently dumped him is such that he was prepared to air his suspicions on an ABC program and bring into question that pillar of our legal system — the presumption of innocence.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian will face her “greyhound” moment, Piers Akerman writes. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Damian Shaw

In appointing Turnbull to a government post, Premier Berejiklian has spat in the faces of all those Liberals still working to repair the damage he wrought in office.

With her own government poised to lose its majority, the Turnbull elevation is yet another indication of the thoughtless enthusiasm she has shown for the Labor-lite politics of the so-called moderate faction personified in Matt Kean, the wannabe Green who holds the environment portfolio.

The global warmists are now well represented in the Berejiklian government but as yet are unable to produce anyone to actually debate the science they claim is behind their apocalyptic cult.

In succumbing to the siren song of the left, Berejiklian has fallen for their ultimate three-card trick.

She has, in Turnbull, hired an individual who will drive conservative voters toward independent candidates and she has given the Labor Opposition Leader Jodi McKay a much-needed fillip when her political future was looking most dire.

Former premier Mike Baird quit after his lunatic decision to ban greyhound racing was derided.

The Turnbull appointment is another dog of an idea.

Why didn’t Berejiklian seek advice from those who know him?

Scott Morrison’s test is still distant but NSW will have a by-election for the disgraced Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen and Berejiklian will then face her greyhound moment.