Malcolm Turnbull faces lifetime ban from Liberal Party

An email calling for Malcolm Turnbull to be expelled from the Liberal Party and slapped with a lifetime ban has been sent to NSW state executive members.

Malcolm Turnbull faces expulsion from the party that made him prime minister. Picture: AAP

Could the dysfunctional relationship between Malcolm Bligh Turnbull and the Liberal Party finally be set for a hostile divorce?

An email calling for Turnbull to be expelled from the party and slapped with a lifetime ban was sent to NSW Liberal state executive members on Sunday afternoon. If the motion is successful, Strewth understands this would be the first time anyone has been chastised with a lifetime Liberal membership ban, let alone Australian’s 29th prime minister.

Christian Ellis — a former Turnbull government adviser from the conservative bloc of the state executive — has asked for an extraordinary general meeting to vote on Turnbull’s expulsion within weeks.

Ellis was scathing in his email rebuke, focusing on the former Liberal leader’s scorched-earth book A Bigger Picture, published on Monday.

“Malcolm Turnbull has shown in the last few weeks how he is not a servant of the Liberal Party, but himself,” Ellis wrote.

“I intend to move for the immediate expulsion of Malcolm Turnbull from the Liberal Party. On top of this, as he may no longer be a member, I will move for a lifetime ban to be imposed on him.”

“Whilst productive commentary from former leaders ought to be encouraged, to use this time to talk about oneself and attack Ministers of the Government is not on.”

Ellis continued: While choosing to attack the ‘wreckers’, he takes aim at Minister Hunt, the current Health minister, working tirelessly during a global pandemic, Minister Dutton, the current Minister monitoring any threat entering Australia, and Scott Morrison, who won an election against all odds and proves everyday how he is able to perform as a leader in times of crisis.”

“This is not a motion of vengeance or spite. His membership needs to be terminated because if he continues to keep attacking the party as a member, or connected in anyway, he damages the party brand.”

So much for the notion it’s better for disgruntled members to be inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in!

Ellis told his state executive colleagues that it’s “important” they remain consistent on decisions, citing the expulsion of former federal MP Ross Cameron for his “less egregious comments”.

He concluded: “We need members contributing to a policy debate and the support of our Party through this crisis, and as such I intend to do that by reprimanding a man who isn’t”.

Brought to book

Hasn’t it been a big weekend for Turnbull? We hear encrypted messaging apps were working overtime across our wide brown land, with “unauthorised” copies of A Bigger Picture furiously forwarded between Liberal, National and even Labor MPs and staffers.

Malcolm Turnbull’s new book has already been discounted.

Why? Firstly, it’s much easier to ctrl+f search through a PDF to find out if you’ve scored a memoir mention. Secondly, to punish Turnbull for his criticism of “control freak” Scott Morrison (among others). And thirdly, to prevent people paying the $19.99 pre-order price on Apple Books — down more than 63 per cent from the original recommended retail price of $55 — on Turnbull’s 704-page opus.

One disgruntled Liberal indicated it was an effort to stop their former leader scoring a place on the bestsellers list (safe to say Turnbull doesn’t need the money). One final “f-you,” to the man nicknamed Mr Harbourside Mansion.

Now a legal stoush is looming. Turnbull’s publisher, Hardie Grant blamed the “massive scale” book breach on a “top aide” in the Prime Minister’s office who also encouraged others to send it on. Lawyers for Hardie Grant fired off a “cease and desist” notice on Saturday for “malicious conduct and infringement of copyright” to the Morrison staffer, claiming the bootlegged e-book had been hacked or pirated. A curious claim made even more curious by Canberra press gallery journos, who tell us their requests for an electronic copy were rejected in favour of a good old-fashioned hard copy.

No Payne, no gain

Foreign Minister Marise Payne was less than illuminating about the source of the leak when she confessed to being sent a copy during her Sunday morning sit down with ABC Insiders host David Speers. Only the transcript can do the awkward interaction justice.

Speers: Malcolm Turnbull and his publisher, pretty fired up that pirated electronic copies of his book have been circulating this weekend far and wide. Have you received a copy?

Payne: I understand that. I’ve not been responsible for disseminating any, David.

Speers: Did you receive one?

Payne: I’ve received and deleted. And I would encourage anyone who had received (it) to do the same thing.

Speers: Did it come from the Prime Minister’s office, this is the suggestion from the publisher?

Payne: Absolutely not.

Speers: Who did it come from?

Payne: David, I’ve received and deleted. That’s the most important thing.

Speers: You won’t tell us who it’s come from?

Payne: Received and deleted.

Speers: I take that as a no answer?

Payne: (silent but smiling)

Speers: I think we will.

For the record, Morrison has previously said he’s “not interested” in Turnbull’s version of events and Health Minister Greg Hunt (who backed Peter Dutton in the 2018 leadership spill) told journalists he “certainly haven’t read it, and I can’t see any circumstances under which I’ll have the time to be reading it”.

[e-mail]