Why our former PMs should speak up, not shut up

Should Malcolm Turnbull just shut up? It’s a question the former prime minister faced this month when he appeared on The Project to talk about Donald Trump’s tariffs and the future of the AUKUS submarine pact.

Trump’s imposition of tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium came just a day after the US president lashed out at Turnbull on social media for critical comments he had made about Trump in an interview with Bloomberg.

“Obviously, Peter Dutton would like you to shut up and so would Albo, presumably,” The Project presenter Steve Price told Turnbull.

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Without missing a beat, Turnbull fired back: “Well, so would you, presumably, but then you shouldn’t have asked me to come on the program.”

On the same day, The Daily Mail’s political editor Peter Van Onselen wrote a piece accusing Turnbull of being addicted to media attention and motivated by bitterness. Van Onselen credited Turnbull for identifying “basic downsides” in the AUKUS submarine agreement and argued the former prime minister was probably right to call it a terrible deal for Australia. But he insisted the substance of Turnbull’s points didn’t really matter: the problem was that he looked undignified by inserting himself into the public debate.

Van Onselen unfavourably compared Turnbull with his predecessor, Julia Gillard, who is often praised for the understated way she has conducted herself since leaving politics.

Van Onselen’s column and Turnbull’s The Project appearance reflect the paradoxical way Australians feel about their former leaders. On the one hand, we want them to disappear, accusing them of relevance deprivation syndrome when they appear in the media. On the other hand, we find them irresistible and impossible to ignore.

Journalists will continue to seek out former prime ministers for comment for as long as they are alive because we know many Australians still care about what they have to say, even if they may claim otherwise.

Former Australian prime ministers. Top: John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard. Bottom: Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Scott Morrison.Credit: Wolter Peeters, Alex Ellinghausen, Steven Siewert and Getty

Gillard certainly has drawn plaudits from across the political spectrum for her dignified post-political career. She laid out her version of the contentious Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years in a memoir and on ABC TV’s The Killing Season documentary series, but rarely comments on day-to-day politics or global affairs. Instead, she has focused on her work as chair of the Global Partnership for Education and, until recently, Beyond Blue.

Gillard’s stance is admirable, but it would be a shame if every former prime minister followed her lead. Yes, many of our ex-leaders have towering egos and are obsessed with defending their legacies. But they are also engaging, intelligent individuals who can speak with rare insight about what it is like to be the most powerful person in the country.

Scott Morrison, for example, is a valuable authority on AUKUS, having spearheaded the pact. John Howard’s interventions – including that Trump’s behaviour has been “incompatible with democracy” – still make headlines. Tony Abbott is an important contributor to debates about modern conservatism.

It’s not only Australians who care about what they have to say. Turnbull has written for Foreign Affairs, the world’s most influential foreign policy journal, about how world leaders should deal with Trump. Abbott regularly contributes to the UK Spectator.

Paul Keating, at 81, still makes regular forays into the national discourse. And so he should.Credit: Louie Douvis

Next week, Turnbull will host a day-long conference at the National Press Club in Canberra to discuss the future of the US-Australia alliance. He has invited around 100 of the nation’s top thinkers to discuss questions such as “if we are faced with a different, and less reliable America how do we defend ourselves?” It’s easy to ridicule such an exercise – Malcolm to the rescue! – but it is a commendable attempt to spark conversations about crucial topics. Importantly, Turnbull has invited a broad range of participants – including AUKUS defenders as well as critics – to participate.

Kevin Rudd became a regular on the international media circuit after leaving politics, mostly because of his expertise on China. He hosted world leaders for discussions while running the Asia Society think tank in New York and published a widely praised book, The Avoidable War, spelling out his view on how to avoid a catastrophic conflict between the US and China. You can hardly find a more important topic than that. Now Rudd has returned to public service, advocating for Australia’s interests as the nation’s United States ambassador. He could have a quieter, and more lucrative, life selling his China expertise to private sector clients.

At 81, Paul Keating still makes regular forays into the national discourse, often challenging conventional wisdom and making life difficult for the Labor Party. I had a memorable encounter with Keating at the National Press Club in 2023 when, after asking for his views on China’s treatment of the Uyghurs, he advised me to “drum myself out of journalism”. Keating was not a fan of a series, Red Alert, that I had recently co-written for this masthead on the possibility of a war with China. Despite the hostile encounter, I don’t think Keating should keep his thoughts to himself. He’s a deep thinker who should be listened to, challenged and debated. After declining to take up his suggestion to find a new career, I have an open request with his office for an interview on global affairs. It would be stimulating to hear his thoughts on Trump’s return to office, India’s role as an emerging superpower and China’s direction under Xi Jinping, even if his views are controversial.

While they may be obstreperous and self-aggrandising, our former leaders shouldn’t shut up. Our national debate would be worse off if they all took a vow of silence.

Matthew Knott is the foreign affairs and national security correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.