Revealed: Malcolm Turnbull’s views on fellow politicians, life, ABC
From Scott Morrison to Bill Shorten, Peter Dutton and Donald Trump, Malcolm Turnbull doesn’t hold back in his memoir.
Malcolm Turnbull’s highly anticipated memoir, to be released on Monday, recounts his own version of events that led to his dismissal as prime minister in August 2018. According to those who have read the manuscripts, here is a collection of quotes from Turnbull describing fellow politicians and others. You can read more in Simon Benson’s exclusive piece in The Australian today.
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Malcolm Turnbull on Scott Morrison
“I didn’t regard Scott as working against me in a rivalrous way and reposed great trust in him but he needed to be managed carefully and always counselled intensely about the need for confidentiality. Mathias and I were at our wits’ end as to how to manage Scott. As Mathias said, ‘We have a Treasurer problem’ and the problem was one of trust.”
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...on Bill Shorten
“I’d listen to Bill. Many a time I felt his speech was better than mine, but he never did it justice. Occasionally I wanted to jump and up and say ‘give me your speech and let me read it for you’.”
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....on Donald Trump
“He was typical of a few billionaires I’d known ... the one thing I learned with bullies is that sucking up to them is precisely the wrong way to go.”
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...on depression
“Only my family doctors and a few very close friends were aware of how sick I’d been.”
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...on Christopher Pyne
“When it came to gossip, he was the soul of indiscretion especially if it was amusing or salacious.”
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...on Julie Bishop
“Julie was of course my oldest friend in the parliament. We had known each other long before we went into parliament. Julie Bishop was struggling as shadow treasurer. I spoke to Peter Costello to seek his view. He told me she was ineffectual and should go, then perversely he told Julie she should keep at it.”
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...on Mathias Cormann
“Cormann’s treachery was the worst and the most hurtful. He’d become a trusted friend of mine ... he used to send me pictures of his children.”
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...on John Frydenberg
“Wears his ambition and his prime ministerial destiny on his sleeve. But unlike many others, his ambition is matched by an extraordinary work ethic.”
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...on Greg Hunt
“I wasn’t aware of it at this point, but Hunt all too often used abusive and vulgar language towards others.”
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...on the ABC
“Personally I was thoroughly pro-ABC ... the ABC had a crucial role to play but it needed to improve its journalism so it was genuinely accurate and impartial.”
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...on Kevin Rudd’s bid to run the UN
“Kevin, the consensus view, and it’s my view too, is that you aren’t suited to the role because of your interpersonal and management skills.” Rudd replied: “You little f..king rat, you piece of shit.”
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...on Peter Costello
“Rather than making a case for himself, he proceeded to argue that nobody else was qualified to succeed Howard. It was very underwhelming and left me less convinced about Costello’s leadership capacity. Peter had only himself to blame for not becoming leader while we were in government. He hadn’t the courage to stand up to Howard let alone challenge him.”
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...on the Abbott government
“This was at the core of the dysfunction of the Abbott cabinet. Abbott’s own office largely through (Peta) Credlin shared cabinet discussions and cabinet papers with the media, principally The Daily Telegraph and The Australian.”
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...on Kerry Packer
“Nothing baffled me about Kerry more than his gambling. On a rare evening when I joined him he lost $3 million, it seemed completely mad. At one point he sent his ... valet to get his shotgun so he could blow his brains out. With the callowness of youth, I didn’t think he was ever likely to take his own life but now having been through dark periods of my own, I can see I should have been more empathetic.”
■ “My experience made me wiser and calmer”: Read more about Malcolm Turnbull’s battle with depression here.
If you or someone you know may be at risk of suicide, call Lifeline (131114), Kids Helpline (1800 551 800), Beyond Blue (1300 224 636)