PM continues to defend long-ago postal survey
Malcolm Turnbull is back in action for 2018 and what a summer he’s had. The Prime Minister’s first media interview of the year on Hobart’s 101.7 FM, yesterday:
Lots of time with the grandkids and lots of swimming and kayaking. We stayed at home in Sydney but it was great.
Great except for the fine, of course ... The Australian, December 29 last year:
Turnbull has been issued a $250 fine by NSW Maritime Services this afternoon after he failed to don a lifejacket on Sydney Harbour this week. An investigation was launched into the Prime Minister after The Australian reported he had breached local waterway regulations, which dictate that anyone boating alone in a vessel less than 4.8m long must wear a lifejacket or face fines.
And what did the Prime Minister open up his new year’s sales job with? Turnbull on Hobart FM radio, continued:
Matt Newell: And of course Malcolm, look, I was very, very happy last week. First same-sex marriages in Australia!
Turnbull: Yeah, that’s right! That’s exactly right and that was a great way to end the year, wasn’t it? What a great outcome, that every Australian had their say and it was such an emphatic ‘yes’ vote.
Newell: Yes.
Turnbull: It ended well but the process was very good too.
Mate, you won. Stop talking about it. Move on. Chris Kenny in The Weekend Australian, December 9 last year:
Every moment the Prime Minister spends on this issue is a moment lost to pursue his core imperatives of economic reform, fiscal repair and electricity price relief. And every moment he attempts to bask in gay marriage adulation is an attack forgone on Bill Shorten’s vulnerabilities over Sam Dastyari, dual citizenship and clean energy evangelism.
Turnbull is still so insecure over the postal survey. The Prime Minister in Bennelong, after winning the by-election, December 17 last year:
Despite enormous opposition from the Labor Party we gave every Australian their say, as I promised at the election.
Maybe he should have been given more credit. Caroline Overington in The Australian online, November 16 last year:
OK, so why is nobody saying the obvious this morning? The success of the same-sex marriage survey is a giant victory for Malcolm Turnbull.
But he’s not going to get it. David Meagher in The Weekend Australian, September 30 last year:
Win or lose in November, there are gay and straight people who ... will never forgive the government ...
And who wants Turnbull at Mardi Gras when you can have Cher? The Daily Telegraph, January 13:
Tickets to the event sold out fast when it was rumoured the Oscar winner would be appearing ...
So stop talking about gay marriage, Malcolm. Hobart FM, continued:
Newell: Yeah, look, in the greater Hobart region, we were upwards of 70 per cent ‘yes’ ...
Turnbull: Yeah and over 60 per cent in the state as I recall overall.
And stop worrying about those mean lefties. Cher’s Believe, October 22, 1998:
What am I supposed to do / Sit around and wait for you / Well I can’t do that / There’s no turning back / I need time to move on / I need a love to feel strong / Cause I’ve got time to think it through /And maybe I’m too good for you …