Turnbull calls out coup plotters, Pyne backs him up

Defence Minister Christopher Pyne has echoed the former PM’s comments calling for leadership spill plotters to take responsibility for their decision.

Appearing on the ABC program QandA, former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull called out former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Health Minister Greg Hunt and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann to give the Australian people an explanation as to why they challenged him in a leadership spill which saw Scott Morrison take the country’s top job.

During his hour-long TV interview, Mr Turnbull took the opportunity to defend his record and insist that his government was successful and would have been competitive against Labor in the next election. He accused those who organised the leadership spill that deposed him as taking a successful government and “blowing it up”.

He then said that “people have got to be adults and be accountable”.

He named nine individuals who he believed were chiefly responsible for the coup against him and said that they had to answer for a move that he believed was “damaging both to the Government, to the party, and frankly, to the nation”.

He implied that more conservative elements of the party chose to vindictively undermine his government rather than pander to moderate sensibilities.

Appearing on a Channel Nine breakfast program, Defence Minister Christopher Pyne agreed with Mr Turnbull’s sentiment that those who plotted his downfall needed to explain their actions.

He said that “They made a decision about not supporting Malcolm Turnbull” and that “they have to be responsible for that,”

Christian Woods
Christian Woods
Christian is a morning reporter and technology columnist for Best in Australia. Christian has worked in the media since 2000, in a range of locations. He joined Best in Australia in 2018, and began working in Melbourne in 2019.
Share this

PEOPLE ARE READING NOW