Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician, businessman and barrister who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party from 2008 to 2009 and again from 2015 to 2018, and was the member of parliament (MP) for the New South Wales division of Wentworth from 2004 to 2018.
Born in Sydney, 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". 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. In 2016, Turnbull led the Coalition to a narrow victory in a double dissolution election. 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. 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, caused a leadership crisis with Peter Dutton challenging Turnbull to a leadership spill for the Liberal leadership. Although Turnbull defeated Dutton in the ballot, 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. 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. He has since 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.
Early life and education Malcolm Bligh Turnbull was born in Sydney, on 24 October 1954, the only child of Bruce Bligh Turnbull and Coral Magnolia Lansbury. His father was a hotel broker, while his mother was a radio actor, writer, and academic, and a third cousin of the British film and television actress Angela Lansbury. His maternal grandmother, May Lansbury (née Morle), was born in England, while his other grandparents were Australian-born. He is also of Scottish descent; his great-great-great-grandfather John Turnbull (1751–1834) arrived on the Coromandel in 1802 in New South Wales and became a tailor. In an interview in 2015, Turnbull said that his middle name "Bligh" has been a family tradition for generations, originally given in honour of Governor William Bligh.Malcolm Turnbull – Extended Interview Transcript – PROGRAM TRANSCRIPT: Monday, 21 September 2015 Malcolm Turnbull interview with Belinda Hawkins Turnbull's parents married in December 1955, fourteen months after his birth. The Turnbulls lived in a two-bedroom flat in Vaucluse, where Turnbull would attend the nearby public school.Turnbull (2020), p. 11 Bruce and Coral's marriage was an unhappy one, and Turnbull wrote that the couple rarely slept or spent time together, only staying married due to himself. Coral frequently belittled her husband about his lack of education and that the fortunes of the family depended on her.Turnbull (2020), p. 9 Coral started spending increasing amounts of time with John Salmon, a professor of history at the University of New South Wales. When Turnbull was nine, Salmon received a teaching post in New Zealand, and Coral went with him, ending the marriage. Bruce told Turnbull that Coral was studying for another degree, which although Coral did get a PhD in New Zealand, was an effort by Bruce to hide the fact that Coral had left him.Turnbull (2020), p. 12-13 Turnbull was from then raised solely by his father. Turnbull suffered from asthma as a young child.
After spending his first three years of schooling at Vaucluse Public School, he started boarding at Sydney Grammar School in St Ives. Turnbull wrote that he hated boarding school, as he was bullied due to bed wetting. Bruce, now a single father, had troubles paying school fees, causing many letters to be sent to the Turnbull residence from the school bursar.Turnbull (2020), p. 14 These financial issues forced the Turnbulls to move from Vaucluse to a small flat in Double Bay, where they lived without much furniture.Turnbull (2020) p. 14-15 Turnbull then began to attend Grammar's high school campus on College Street, on a partial scholarship. During this time he lived at the school's former Randwick boarding facilities. Also during this time Bruce remarried, and his business continued to grow. The Turnbulls moved into a large apartment in Point Piper, and the pressure of the school fees was relieved.Turnbull (2020), p. 19 Although a mediocre mathematician, Turnbull excelled in Greek, English, and History, and joined the debating and drama clubs, where he won the Lawrence Campbell Oratory Competition and starred in numerous Shakespeare plays, respectively.Turnbull (2020), p. 19-21 He was made senior school co-captain in 1972,Turnbull (2020), p. 22 however, contrary to certain sources, Turnbull was not the dux of his graduating year at Sydney Grammar. In 1987, in memory of his late father, he set up the Bruce Turnbull means-tested scholarship at Sydney Grammar, offering full remission of fees to a student unable to afford them.
In 1973, Turnbull attended the University of Sydney, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in political science in 1977 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1978. Turnbull wrote for the school's newspaper, Honi Soit, writing largely about politics.Turnbull (2020), p. 24 Turnbull also visited former Premier of New South Wales Jack Lang, discussing 1920s and 1930s state politics.Turnbull (2020), p. 25 During his studies, he was involved in student politics, serving as board director of the University of Sydney Union and a member of the Students' Representative Council. He also worked part-time as a political journalist for Nation Review, Radio 2SM and Channel 9, covering state politics. Around this time, Turnbull would meet businessman Kerry Packer, for whom he would later do extensive legal work.Turnbull (2020), p. 28-29
In 1978, Turnbull won a Rhodes Scholarship and attended Brasenose College, Oxford, where he briefly studied for a business degree before switching to a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law from 1978 to 1980, graduating with honours.Turnbull (2020), p. 36 While at Oxford, he worked for The Sunday Times and contributed to newspapers and magazines in both the United States and Australia. He befriended the future UK prime minister Theresa May, who credits Turnbull for encouraging her husband Philip May to propose to her. Turnbull also met his future wife, Lucy, during this time.Turnbull (2020), p. 38 During Turnbull's time at Oxford, a university don wrote of him that he was "always going to enter life's rooms without knocking".
Professional career
Costigan commission After graduating from Oxford, Turnbull returned to Australia and began working as a barrister. He was general counsel and secretary for Australian Consolidated Press Holdings Group from 1983 to 1985. During this time, he defended Kerry Packer against the "Goanna" allegations made by the Costigan Commission, accusing Packer of the murder of bank manager Ian Coote, among other crimes. The Commission believed that Packer had committed the murder to hide other criminal activities.Turnbull (2020), p. 49 Turnbull attempted to use the press to goad the counsel assisting the commission, Douglas Meagher QC, into suing him and Packer for a 6000-word statement intentionally defamatory of Costigan and Meagher, accusing them of being "unjust, capricious, dishonest and malicious".Turnbull (2020), p. 50-51 The statement worked, and it was printed in full in many newspapers, increasing public opinion of Packer.Turnbull (2020), p. 51 Turnbull later advised Packer to sue Meagher for defamation, an action that was struck down by Justice David Hunt as being an abuse of process, saying that Turnbull had managed "to poison the fountain of justice". These tactics made Turnbull enemies within the NSW Bar Association, leading to Turnbull's departure from that organisation. After the findings of the Costigan Commission were handed down, accusing Packer of tax evasion, drug trafficking and murder, Turnbull phoned Premier of Queensland Joh Bjelke-Petersen, requesting an inquest into the Commission's findings. Bjelke-Petersen agreed to hold the inquest, which refuted the Costigan Commission's allegations that Packer had committed murder.Turnbull (2020), p. 53-54
Spycatcher trial