Tim Blair’s guide to Malcolm’s Q&A interview
What did former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull say on the ABC’s Q&A? And what did Malcolm Turnbull actually mean by what he said? To understand the ex-PM’s comments, here is your official Malcolm Turnbull Q&A decoder.
Opinion
Don't miss out on the headlines from Opinion. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Answer: “The only people who can answer that (why Mr Turnbull was dumped as prime minister) are the people that engineered the coup.”
Translation: But not the millions of Australians who sank me in dozens of Newspolls.
“In the 2016 election I campaigned on delivering jobs and growth.”
In the 2016 election I cost multiple Liberal MPs their jobs and shrank the government’s majority to one.
“One of the most important things as leader is to keep the party together.”
Which is why I’m now a private citizen appearing on the ABC at 8pm on a Thursday instead of being prime minister.
“It never occurred to me that those people would act in a way that was going to be so damaging to the government, to the party, and frankly to the nation. Stability is very important.”
I have completely forgotten about knifing Tony Abbott.
“I wish Scott (Morrison) all the best in the election. I really do.”
I really don’t.
“Maybe (the coup plotters) were worried we’d win the election. Maybe they were not worried we’d lose it. Maybe they were worried we’d win it.”
Ah, but the strawberries, that’s where I had them. They laughed at me and made jokes but I proved beyond the shadow of a doubt, and with geometric logic, that a duplicate key to the ward room icebox did exist!
(End impression of Humphrey Bogart’s Captain Queeg.)
“I’m not miserable or bitter or resentful at all. I’m joyful.”
I have these adjectives in the wrong categories.
“If you have an Allen key, a post hole digger and a cement mixer you can build your solar farm in less than 12 months.”
Malcolm has a new hobby.
“Prime Ministers come and go.”
I’m gone.
My parking fine is more than Belle Gibson ever paid for her crimes
As a Netflix series looms about cancer faker and fraudster Belle Gibson who scammed hundreds of thousands of dollars from desperate victims, the fact she hasn’t paid for her crimes — in either fines or jail time — should infuriate us all.
Banks for nothing, financial wokesters
If bankers want to play politics they should resign, join a party, and run for office – not use our money, mortgaged assets and businesses as a plaything for personal views, writes Vikki Campion.