Question time: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull reveals his opinion on Donald Trump’s tan
IF he thought question time was tough Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hadn’t seen anything until he was grilled by the teenagers at WAYS in Bondi.
Wentworth Courier
Don't miss out on the headlines from Wentworth Courier. Followed categories will be added to My News.
IF he thought question time was tough Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull hadn’t seen anything until he was grilled by the teenagers at WAYS in Bondi.
Mr Turnbull was at the non-mainstream secondary on Friday to announce funding for an after-school program as well as capital works including a new science lab.
He had a candid Q&A with the students who took the opportunity to quiz him on everything from Donald Trump’s fake tan to Australia’s wealth disparity.
Responding to each and every question the students threw his way, Mr Turnbull revealed he considers Trump a “huge personality” who “thrives on controversy” but confessed he was unsure if his tan was real.
He also said Australians enjoyed a “high minimum wage” and refugees who felt like second class citizens should look to millionaire Westfield tycoon Frank Lowy as an example of how they too can succeed.
King of the kids, Mr Turnbull also posed for selfies and played a game of pool with the delighted students where, to his surprise more than anyone’s, he managed to sink two balls with a single shot.
Phoebe Lange, 16, asked Mr Turnbull for his response to the statement “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer”.
Phoebe told the Wentworth Courier she was motivated to ask the question after watching her mother, who works long hours as a nurse, struggle to scrape together their rent.
“Well it’s actually not true in Australia,” Mr Turnbull said.
“Inequality of income is actually less here than it is in many other countries. There’s a couple of reasons for that.
“One of them is we have a high minimum wage. I mean, if you’re on the minimum wage you’d say it’s not high, but relative to other countries it is quite high compared to say the United States and the UK.
“Secondly, we have a means tested welfare system. Virtually all welfare benefits in Australia are means tested.”
When asked about Trump, Mr Turnbull
responded enthusiastically.
“He’s a big guy, he’s very colourful and, you know, he’s a property developer very, you know, very colourful, ebullient, big, huge personality and obviously thrives on controversy,” Mr Turnbull said.
Many of the students attending WAYS do so because they were bullied at their former schools.
When asked how he felt about their confident questioning, Mr Turnbull said he was all for it.
“I must say I was really impressed. I’ve been coming to WAYS for a long time,” he said.
“That was the largest class I’ve seen and it was also terrific confidence. A great credit to the kids and of course to WAYS itself and the teachers.”
Since 2016, WAYS has received $218,749 through the Community Childcare Fund for the tweens after school program; $200,000 under the Capital Grants Programme for the science lab; $10,000 to upgrade the courtyard and revamp the mural and $5,000 through the Stronger Communities Programme to assist with the purchase of a school bus.
To see the video of Mr Turnbull’s impromptu question time at WAYS visit dailytelegraph.com.au/newslocal/wentworth-courier