McMILLAN // LOCAL political figures have responded to the swearing in of Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister following a Liberal party leadership spill which saw Tony Abbott kicked to the back benches.
Above: new prime minister Malcolm Turnbull (middle) with McMillan MP Russell Broadbent (left) in Drouin. Photo: William PJ Kulich.
First published in the 25 September 2015 edition of the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen. All dates relative to then.
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Mr Turnbull won the ballot [earlier this month] with the support of 54 party colleagues. However 44 voted to keep Mr Abbott, one of whom was local MP Russell Broadbent.
“With a long held principle of always supporting the elected leader, I voted to support Mr Abbott,” he said in a statement provided by his office.
“Mr Turnbull won that ballot… and is now the leader of the Liberal Party.
“I maintained my principled stand, but have assured Mr Turnbull that he will have my whole-hearted support.”
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Labor’s candidate for the seat, Chris Buckingham, was upbeat about the change in leader.
“It is promising to see the Prime Minister has picked a more diverse cabinet with greater representation from women,” he told the Warragul & Baw Baw Citizen.
“The community now expects the Liberal Party to shift the focus from its own problems to meeting the needs of the electorate.
“There are pressing issues with public transport infrastructure, proper implementation of a patchwork NBN and loss of job stability. Can the new cabinet rise to the challenge?
“Households across McMillan are looking intently to see if the leopard can change its spots.
“A number of current federal government policies hit the people in our society who need the most support. It is time for the very wealthiest people in our society to make a fair contribution to the tax base.
Mr Broadbent did not respond to questions from WBBC on climate policy and the next election, but a spokesperson confirmed he did not seek and was not offered any positions in the new ministry.
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