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Malcolm Turnbull
Retired figureAustraliaBorn 1954

Malcolm Turnbull

29th Prime Minister of Australia (2015-2018) · Leader of the Liberal Party of Australia (2008-2009, 2015-2018)

Former Australian prime minister from the Liberal Party. He was a long-time republican who pushed innovation, business tax cuts and trade deals, and supported marriage equality and action on climate.

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Profile on 12 axesAll 12 documented
ECONOMYSTATESOCIETYWORLDOwnershipMarketsWelfareAuthoritySecurityStructureMoralityReligionTechnologyCultureTradeForeign
Where they stand

Malcolm Turnbull, axis by axis

  1. 01Ownership+30
    PublicPrivate
  2. 02Markets+40
    PlannedFree
  3. 03Welfare+10
    SharedSelf-reliant
  4. 04Authority-30
    DemocraticStrong leader
  5. 05Security+30
    LibertyOrder

    His government kept offshore processing and Operation Sovereign Borders, and he ran on 'strong borders'. He scores moderately toward order.

  6. 06Structure+10
    LocalCentral
  7. 07Morality-35
    ProgressiveTraditional
  8. 08Religion0
    SecularReligious

    Turnbull converted to Catholicism. He has said publicly that he disagrees with the Church on abortion, stem cell research and same-sex marriage, so he sits at the midpoint.

  9. 09Technology-40
    EmbraceCaution

    An 'ideas boom' and the National Innovation and Science Agenda were the centre of his economic pitch, so he scores toward embracing technology.

  10. 10Culture-20
    MulticulturalNational identity

    He backed same-sex marriage and the republic, yet his government kept the Coalition's strict border protection. That puts him mildly toward the multicultural side.

  11. 11Trade-60
    GlobalProtected
  12. 12Foreign policy+10
    CooperationStrength

Who is Malcolm Turnbull?

Sydney-born in 1954, Malcolm Turnbull went to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. His career ran through journalism, law, banking and venture investing. He led the Australian Republican Movement in the lead-up to the 1999 referendum. Voters in Wentworth sent him to Parliament in 2004. He first led the Liberals from 2008, but he was dropped in 2009 over his backing for an emissions trading scheme. He won the top job back in 2015, defeating Tony Abbott, and then scraped through the 2016 election. In 2018 the party chose Scott Morrison instead, and Turnbull left Parliament.

Political views

  • Argued for an Australian republic and fronted the Yes side when it lost the 1999 referendum.Source: en.wikipedia.org
  • In 2009 he sided with the Rudd government's emissions trading scheme, and it cost him the Liberal leadership.Source: en.wikipedia.org
  • Proposed cutting company tax and cracking down on multinationals that dodge it, under his Enterprise Tax Plan.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Promoted an Innovation and Science Agenda, which aimed to turn research into commercial products and to back start-ups.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Highlighted five trade agreements won within three years. They included Japan, Korea, China and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Described living within our means as fair to future generations.Source: moadoph.gov.au
  • Supported a Yes vote in the 2017 same-sex marriage survey. He also unveiled the Snowy Hydro 2.0 scheme.Source: en.wikipedia.org

Legacy

Turnbull's backers point to marriage equality, which became law after the 2017 postal survey. They also credit him with an innovation agenda, several trade deals and the pumped hydro scheme at Snowy Hydro 2.0. On the right, critics said he was too progressive for many Liberal voters. On the left, critics said he gave ground on climate to hold his party together, and that his broadband plan leaned on ageing copper wires. A dual citizenship crisis in 2017 also hurt his government. Finally, his party room turned down the National Energy Guarantee, his last energy plan, and that prompted the challenge that ended his prime ministership.

In their own words

“There has never been a more exciting time to be an Australian.”
Federal election policy speech, 2016

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Malcolm Turnbull: questions

Which party is Malcolm Turnbull in?

He belongs to the Liberal Party of Australia. He led it from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2015 to 2018, when he was prime minister.

Is Turnbull a republican?

Yes. He has long supported an Australian republic. He chaired the Republican Movement and fronted the Yes campaign in 1999, which did not succeed.

Why did Turnbull stop being Liberal leader?

The first time, in 2009, it was his support for an emissions trading scheme. The second time, in 2018, his party room rejected his energy policy and replaced him with Scott Morrison.

Sources

Portrait: Malcolm Turnbull PEO (cropped).jpg by Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and converted to grayscale by 12axes-test.com.