180 degree Turn-bull

Rivals this week had hard questions for Malcolm Turnbull as he rejoined the race for the federal electorate of Wentworth.

Mr Turnbull announced he would recontest the seat last weekend, after earlier announcing he would retire from federal politics at the next election.

“I have been overwhelmed by the many local residents and members of the Liberal Party who have urged me personally and via hundreds of emails and letters to reconsider my decision and run again,” Mr Turnbull said.

“I have taken the decision to re-contest the seat fully understanding the commitment required.”

Greens Candidate Matthew Robertson welcomed Mr Turnbull’s return but said he challenged him to endorse the Greens interim carbon tax solution.

“Mr Turnbull’s leadership was destroyed by his support of [Kevin] Rudd’s flawed Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. His faith was misplaced, but there is a way forward while the merits of an ETS are debated,” he said.

“If Mr Turnbull is genuine, he will pledge his support for the only realistic way out of the current impasse – the interim carbon tax solution originally proposed by Professor [Ross] Garnaut.”

Lawyer Steven Lewis, who is hopeful of winning Labor preselection, said there were two key questions he would put to the electorate.

“The first one is, Malcolm Turnbull might have his own views but he’s running as a member of a party led by Tony Abbott – does he agree with [his] views?” he asked.

“And secondly, in the event that Mr Abbott isn’t successful, is [Mr Turnbull] prepared to give an undertaking that he’ll stay for three years in parliament?”

Responding to Mr Turnbull’s criticism that Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s deferment of the ETS debate was “political cowardice”, Mr Lewis said “The Government tried three times to get the ETS through the senate … If the Liberal party were serious … they would have passed the legislation on any of the occasions they were given, and they chose not to.”