Malcolm Turnbull’s Son Wants You To Donate To Labor So That The Liberals Lose Government
Alex Turnbull, son of former PM Malcolm Turnbull, has called on political donors to side with Labor ahead of the crucial Wentworth by-election next month.
This is what the son of the recently ousted PM said:
Best bang for the buck you'll get in political donations in your life. Tight race, tight margin for government, big incremental effect whatever happens. If you want a federal election now this is the means by which to achieve it. https://t.co/YgTQGhQwBa
— Alex Turnbull (@alexbhturnbull) September 1, 2018
Wentworth is the seat that Turnbull — Malcolm, that is — was elected to when he entered politics in 2004. The politician amassed a large local following in the seat, which now sits at a comfortable 17 point margin ahead of the by-election.
But some pundits, including the ABC’s election extraordinaire Antony Green, speculate that there could be a massive swing against the Liberals.
The Liberal party are yet to preselect their candidate, but former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma and City of Sydney councillor (and Tony Abbott’s sister) Christine Forster have both put their hands up to contest the seat. Neither wannabe-candidates are frontrunners to win preselection, though: marriage equality campaigner and businessman Andrew Bragg is considered the favourite.
Labor have announced that they will challenge for the seat, endorsing businessman and Tamarama Surf Life Saving Club president Tim Murray for the Labor ticket.
City of Sydney councillor Angela Vithoulkas has also put her hand up for the seat, and will run as an independent.
And the younger Turnbull, an investment manager based in Singapore, hasn’t exactly been quiet about who to support. In other tweets, he hit out at LNP policy and called for more climate-aware energy policy — the exact policy that the Liberal party’s conservative faction used to excuse an leadership challenge.
I’d like to see the same things I mentioned:
1) Federal ICAC / integrity commission
2) Donations reform – Michael Yabsley model
3) Sane energy policyI’m not fussed as to how these happen. On the first one you’d have to ask @markdreyfusQCMP and @cporterwa.
— Alex Turnbull (@alexbhturnbull) September 1, 2018
Tim is a great candidate. There is no way I’d endorse someone if they were a Sussex st standard issue type.
— Alex Turnbull (@alexbhturnbull) September 1, 2018
Times like this you have to decide what your first loyalty is: party or county? I’m going with country. We need donations reform, federal ICAC and sane energy policy NOW.
— Alex Turnbull (@alexbhturnbull) September 1, 2018
Some wondered whether Turnbull was pitching for a spot in the by-election contest himself, but he quickly shot down that suspicion.
not running sorry.
— Alex Turnbull (@alexbhturnbull) September 1, 2018
Not running this time, at least.