Malcolm Turnbull | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2015 | |
| 29th Prime Minister of Australia | |
| In office 15 September 2015 – 24 August 2018 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Sir Peter Cosgrove |
| Deputy | Warren Truss Barnaby Joyce Michael McCormack |
| Preceded by | Tony Abbott |
| Succeeded by | Scott Morrison |
| 12th Leader of the Liberal Party | |
| In office 14 September 2015 – 24 August 2018 | |
| Deputy | Julie Bishop |
| Preceded by | Tony Abbott |
| Succeeded by | Scott Morrison |
| In office 16 September 2008 – 1 December 2009 | |
| Deputy | Julie Bishop |
| Preceded by | Brendan Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Tony Abbott |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 16 September 2008 – 1 December 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Kevin Rudd |
| Deputy | Julie Bishop |
| Preceded by | Brendan Nelson |
| Succeeded by | Tony Abbott |
| Minister for Communications | |
| In office 18 September 2013 – 14 September 2015 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Abbott |
| Preceded by | Anthony Albanese |
| Succeeded by | Mitch Fifield |
| Minister for the Environment and Water | |
| In office 30 January 2007 – 3 December 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | John Howard |
| Preceded by | Ian Campbell |
| Succeeded by | Peter Garrett |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Wentworth | |
| In office 9 October 2004 – 31 August 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Peter King |
| Succeeded by | Kerryn Phelps |
| Chairman of the Australian Republican Movement | |
| In office November 1993 – 20 September 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Keneally |
| Succeeded by | Greg Barns |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Malcolm Bligh Turnbull 24 October 1954 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Other political affiliations | Coalition |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Angela Lansbury (second cousin once removed) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Bruce Turnbull Coral Lansbury |
| Education | Vaucluse Public School Sydney Grammar St Ives Preparatory School Sydney Grammar School |
| Alma mater | University of Sydney (BA, LLB) Brasenose College, Oxford (BCL) |
| Profession |
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| Signature |  |
| Website | Official website |
Malcolm Bligh Turnbull AC (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia and was the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Wentworth from 2004 to 2018.
Turnbull graduated from the University of Sydney as a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, before attending Brasenose College, Oxford, as a Rhodes Scholar, earning a Bachelor of Civil Law degree. For more than two decades, he worked as a journalist, lawyer, merchant banker, and venture capitalist. He was Chair of the Australian Republican Movement from 1993 to 2000, and was one of the leaders of the unsuccessful "Yes" campaign in the 1999 republic referendum. He was first elected to the Australian House of Representatives as a member of parliament (MP) for the division of Wentworth in New South Wales at the 2004 election, and was Minister for the Environment and Water in the Howard government from January 2007 until December 2007.
After coming second in the 2007 leadership election, Turnbull won the leadership of the Liberal Party in a leadership spill the following year and became Leader of the Opposition. However, his support of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme proposed by the Rudd government in December 2009 led in turn to a leadership challenge by Tony Abbott, who defeated Turnbull by a single vote. Though initially planning to leave politics after this, Turnbull chose to remain and was later appointed Minister for Communications in the Abbott government following the Liberal-National Coalition's victory at the 2013 election.
Two years later, citing consistently poor opinion polling, Turnbull resigned from the Cabinet on 14 September 2015 and challenged Abbott, successfully reclaiming the leadership of the Liberal Party by ten votes. He was sworn in as prime minister the following day. The Turnbull government initiated the National Innovation and Science Agenda as its key economic priority, working to promote STEM education, increase venture capital funding for new start-ups, and launch an "ideas boom".[1] Turnbull also pursued "city deals" with local and state governments to improve planning outcomes and encourage investment in major infrastructure projects such as the Western Sydney Airport.[2] In 2016, Turnbull led the Coalition to a narrow victory in a double dissolution election.[3] In his second term, Turnbull initiated and campaigned for the "Yes" side in the same-sex marriage plebiscite, which was ultimately successful. Turnbull also announced Snowy Hydro 2.0, a major expansion of the Snowy Mountains Scheme as a key component in enabling the transition to renewable energy.[4] In late 2017, the government experienced a parliamentary eligibility crisis that saw fifteen parliamentarians forced out of Parliament due to concerns about dual citizenship.
To address climate change and reform energy policy, in August 2018 Turnbull proposed the National Energy Guarantee. Although initially agreed to by the Cabinet, the policy was ultimately rejected by the party room. This, combined with poor opinion polling, led to Peter Dutton challenging Turnbull for the Liberal leadership. Although Turnbull defeated Dutton in the party room, a majority of MPs demanded a second spill, which Turnbull did not contest. On 24 August 2018, Scott Morrison defeated Dutton and Julie Bishop in the contest, and replaced Turnbull as prime minister. Turnbull resigned from Parliament, triggering a by-election in his former seat of Wentworth.[5] The Liberal Party lost the by-election to independent candidate Kerryn Phelps, which resulted in the Coalition losing its absolute majority in the House of Representatives.
Since retiring from politics, Turnbull has become an advisor to Kasada, an Australian cybersecurity start-up.[6] He has been critical of the direction of the Liberal Party, and has joined with his former opponent Kevin Rudd in criticising the dominance of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp in Australian political debate.
- ^ Borrello, Eliza (7 December 2015). "Innovation statement: PM Malcolm Turnbull calls for 'ideas boom' as he unveils $1b vision for Australia's future". ABC News. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ Dole, Nick (24 March 2016). "UK 'city deals' model to be adapted for Australia under Malcolm Turnbull's cities plan". ABC News. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
- ^ "Party representation – 2016 Tally Room: AEC". Archived from the original on 20 July 2016.
- ^ Coorey, Phillip (15 March 2017). "Federal government to pour $2 billion into major Snowy Hydro expansion". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Mizen, Ronald (31 August 2018). "Malcolm Turnbull formally resigns, forces byelection". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 31 August 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2018.
- ^ Eyers, James (22 June 2020). "Turnbull joins Kasada board, touts Huawei foresight". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2020.