Malcolm Turnbull unleashes on Peter Dutton, Scott Morrison, Tony Abbott

The former Liberal Prime Minister has turned on his former colleagues at a clean energy summit – and he didn’t mince his words. See what he said.

Malcolm Turnbull has unleashed on his former colleagues, slamming Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for saying “stupid things” on nuclear power and describing the “science denying” element in the Coalition as “crazy, and to some extent getting crazier”.

In a panel discussion at the Clean Energy Summit in Sydney, Mr Turnbull also said dealing with former Prime Minister Tony Abbott on climate issues had left him with “PTSD” and made barely-concealed jabs at former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.

While not mentioning Mr Morrison by name, Mr Turnbull took aim at what he described as a “presidential view of the PM’s office”.

“I wasn’t a lunatic that tried to run Australia from the PM’s office, as some people tried to do,” Mr Turnbull said, apparently referencing the multiple ministries Mr Morrison endowed himself with when he was in the top job.

Former Liberal PM Malcolm Turnbull has turned on his former colleagues – again. Picture: David Caird

Mr Turnbull was even more scathing of Mr Dutton, saying he was “stupid” in his comments on nuclear energy.

“I’m not saying he’s a stupid person, but he says stupid things,” Mr Turnbull said.

He took issue with Mr Dutton’s recent comments that Australia needed nuclear power to firm up renewable energy at times when they couldn’t generate electricity.

“If you want to firm renewable energy you need something flexible. A nuclear power station is exactly what you don’t need,” he said.

Mr Turnbull also seemed to take some issue with the “technology not taxes” approach to emissions abatement of the former government, saying the promise of future “magical” technology was sometimes “used by people who don’t want to do anything”.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton. Picture: NCA NewsWIRE/Tertius Pickard

Former PM Scott Morrison. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Carbon Capture and Storage was one of those technologies, but it is a “proven dud,” he said.

“We still get people in the fossil fuel sector saying it will solve all our problems,” he said.

The former prime minister also revealed he had to fight to retain the Renewable Energy Target from critics in his cabinet who wanted to get rid of it.

He said opposition to the target was ideological and rather bizarrely described it as a “self-licking ice-cream”.

According to Wikipedia, a self-licking ice cream is a “self-perpetuating” political system “that has no purpose other than to sustain itself”.

Mr Turnbull said he’d have to tell cabinet critics that getting rid of the Target would make residential solar panels more expensive.

At this, “you’d see the blood draining of the faces of even the most ruddy complexioned members of the Cabinet,” Mr Turnbull said, in a clear swipe at former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce.

Originally published as Malcolm Turnbull unleashes on Peter Dutton, Scott Morrison, Tony Abbott