Turnbull doing his best for us, says Bob Hawke

Malcolm Turnbull is ‘doing his very best’ to ensure a Labor victory at the next election, Bob Hawke said yesterday.

Malcolm Turnbull is “doing his very best” to ensure a Labor victory at the next election, a wheelchair-bound Bob Hawke said yesterday.

He was in Melbourne after ­attending a party, but rumours he would be the guest of honour at Victorian Labor’s state conference were labelled “fake news”.

The former prime minister, who won four straight elections for the ALP from 1983 to 1990, said his party was well positioned to get back into government.

“Turnbull’s doing his best to see that we win,” he told Nine News Melbourne.

There had been suggestions Mr Hawke was in Melbourne for this weekend’s state Labor conference, where Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews will speak on Saturday and Bill Shorten on Sunday.

“No, that’s fake news,” Mr Hawke’s wife, Blanche d’Alpuget, said. “We were here for a party and we’re going back to Sydney.”

Mr Hawke, 88, had a fall at his Sydney home on May 7 and has been in and out of hospital.

“I have been better ... I will just keep going,” he said yesterday.

“It’s a pretty upside-down world at the moment, you just have to keep trying your best.”