Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Malcolm Turnbull on Thursday and congratulated him on his appointment as the Prime Minister of Australia. He came to power in September 2013. No Australian prime minister has served a full electoral term since 2007, and Australia has had four incumbents in the last 27 months alone.
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He said the Agriculture White Paper delivered by Mr Abbott and Mr Joyce in July this year contained many positive initiatives for agriculture, including $500 million for building dams and water infrastructure. “The nature of politics has changed in the past decade”, he said. He was forceful and combative but an unconvincing communicator of vision.
In a televised statement on Tuesday, Mr. Abbott said he accepted the results, promising “no undermining and no sniping” toward Mr. Turnbull.
“I supported the Prime Minister (Mr Abbott) on the principle that he was elected as our leader and the leader of the government“.
The Lowy Institute’s Jonathan Pryke says Mr Turnbull’s attention will be very much focused on domestic issues, leaving foreign policy to his deputy Julie Bishop, who remains foreign minister.
He promised a leadership that would consult more closely with cabinet ministers and junior lawmakers and would explain and advocate economic policies.
Kate Carnell, chief executive of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI), said that the new government needed to increase Australia’s rate of change. He said Australia must be agile and innovative. “There are real risks for Australia in globalization and we could be a loser in the future just as we have been a win to date”.
Signalling his caution in this regard, Mr Turnbull formally signed a new Coalition agreement with the Liberals’ more conservative junior partner the Nationals, in which he committed to retain the present timetable for progressing same-sex marriage by plebiscite, and agreed to keep the existing level of emissions reduction targets. He claimed that he voted for the candidate he found suitable for the general public.
Click through for a video update on the state of play, and what we might expect from a Turnbull government. “Ultimately, the prime minister has not been capable of providing the economic leadership our nation needs”. Abbott left office feeling sore and under-appreciated. Indigenous leaders have been working with the government and Labor to map a way forward on constitutional recognition, which will now need to be reconfirmed.
“It is vital that government makes the case for a stronger nation and this means getting on with cementing our free trade agreements, restoring the budget position, fundamentally reforming our tax system and fostering a culture of innovation”, he said.
On the accusations of cheating on Abbott, Morrison refused to respond. In July, Mr. Abbott was forced to defend a senior colleague who had taken a helicopter at taxpayers’ expense rather than a hired car.
The letter finishes with a plea for freedom, and not necessarily passage to Australia. “The actions taken by Malcolm Turnbull are not about Australia and they are not about the people of Canning“.
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In June 2013, Ms Julia Gillard was defeated in a party-room vote by Mr Kevin Rudd.
