Laurie Oakes defends decision to publish Turnbull parody speech

Laurie Oakes has strongly defended his decision to publish leaked footage of Malcolm Turnbull’s off the record speech.

Veteran political reporter Laurie Oakes. Picture Glenn Hampson

Veteran political reporter Laurie Oakes has defended his decision to publish leaked footage of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s off the record Midwinter Ball speech, saying those who have attacked him for doing his job “make me sick”.

Video of the Prime Minister’s light-hearted speech was leaked to Mr Oakes from Parliament House’s annual Midwinter Ball, in which Mr Turnbull parodied US President Donald Trump, roasting him about “fake news” and his links with a “Russian guy”.

Stand-up Mal https://t.co/cclBarMkiz

— LaurieOakes (@LaurieOakes) June 15, 2017

The Channel Nine reporter, who did not attend the Midwinter Ball, appeared on The Today Show this morning, saying the footage was “clearly embarrassing” for Mr Turnbull.

“It was a very funny speech, a brilliant performance by Malcolm Turnbull, and was it well judged? I don’t think so,” Mr Oakes said.

“Malcolm Turnbull, when he was in New York meeting Donald Trump last month was all over him like a rash.

“Obviously obsequious, determined to repair the relationship and come away with Trump as his mate”

Mr Oakes said he was getting a “strong reaction from the Prime Minister’s office” about the leak, which they claim was meant as an affectionate roast.

“Turnbull is right saying the speech was sending himself up but it was also sending up the leader of our closest ally and he obviously would be regretting that, I think,” he said.

When asked if he thought the PM’s speech should never have been made public, Mr Oakes was resolute.

“Journalists spend their time reporting on confidential or private events. You know, there are leaks from Cabinet party meetings. That’s our job,” he said.

“Here is the press gallery saying the one event the journalists are not allowed to report on or get leaks from is one they host themselves. It is so hypocritical. It makes me sick, quite frankly”.

Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery president Andrew Meares said the event had a long tradition of Prime Ministers and Opposition Leaders speaking on the condition that their words would remain off the record.

But Mr Oakes claimed imposing such a rule was “just ludicrous”.

“I think it is garbage, quite frankly,” he said.

“I mean, a private event — there were 600 people there, not only journalists, but there were politicians, business leaders, all sorts of log rollers,

“They all come out and gossip. They have all got mobile phones. That’s just rubbish,

“The idea of the press gallery committee which hosts this event declaring it off the record is just ludicrous”.

He also predicted the next phone call between Mr Turnbull and Mr Trump could be an uneasy one.

“We are yet to see what sort of a sense of humour Donald Trump has. I suspect not much of a sense of humour when it concerns himself,” Mr Oakes said.

“The telling line of Malcolm Turnbull’s speech, he tried to say yesterday, was all about him, not Trump, but in fact there was the line Turnbull, imitating Trump, said, “I’ve got this Russian guy”,

“We know how Trump feels about the claim of the links between his campaign and the Russians, he sacked his FBI Director over it,

“I don’t think he will be laughing about Malcolm Turnbull’s joke”.