Hell hath no fury like an ex-PM’s scorned son
Clearly not over his father’s loss of the top job, reports are now emerging that Alex Turnbull is advising independents on how to oust sitting Liberal MPs. A sadder political sight is yet to be seen, writes Peta Credlin.
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It says everything about the gene pool, doesn’t it, that there are reports this weekend that Malcolm Turnbull’s son has been busy advising a clutch of so-called independents how to gather up donations to oust sitting Liberal MPs?
Concerns about Alex Turnbull’s web of influence have even prompted the Liberal Party to lodge a complaint with the Australian Electoral Commission requesting it investigate whether the establishment of near-identical financial structures breaches donation laws.
MORE FROM PETA CREDLIN: Beware the Labor mutton dressed as Liberal lamb
In Victoria, Liberal Party defector Julia Banks has abandoned her multicultural marginal seat of Chisholm to shift her focus to removing Health Minister Greg Hunt in the bayside seat of Flinders. Apparently, Mr Hunt is being targeted because he decided it was time for Turnbull Sr to go.
There’s reportedly money via this scheme for Oliver Yates, a former Liberal Party member who is hoping to win Josh Frydenberg’s seat of Kooyong because he’s unhappy with the Coalition’s climate policies (although, with plenty of investments in this area, his interest might not be purely altruistic). Kerryn Phelps is also said to be in this scheme, as is Tony Abbott challenger, Zali Steggall, who went missing this week at a televised debate, sparking comments that she isn’t up to sustained media scrutiny.
MORE FROM PETA CREDLIN: How Alex Turnbull is avenging his father ex-PM Malcolm’s dumping
Banks is quick to say “this is a grassroots campaign”, while admitting that “Alex helped me with the set-up”.
Liberal Party chiefs say that four “independents” using identical shelf-companies, either purchased or donated from a single source, “suggests that they are functioning as a political party and not as independents”.
It seems hell hath no fury like a scorned ex-PM’s son.
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THUMBS DOWN: Melissa Parke — a former Labor MP who quit parliament and was trying to return — has now been dumped as the ALP’s candidatein Julie Bishop’s old seat after hateful comments outraging Jews.
This anti-Semitism is happening too often on the Left.
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THUMBS UP: The Constitution — we might complain about the campaign, but we should never take for granted the peaceful and equal say we get at election time. In may places around the world, blood is shed to cast a vote and it’s thanks to those who came before us that our system has stood the test of time.