The Fifth Estate

Malcolm Turnbull

04.29.2020 - By The Wheeler CentrePlay

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Sally Warhaft interviews Malcolm Turnbull – in his home – from the Wheeler Centre in Melbourne

In 2015, when Malcolm Turnbull returned to the Liberal Party leadership and assumed the Australian Prime Ministership, he brought with him a passion for free enterprise, a touch of style and a vision for an ‘agile Australia’.

But Turnbull's view of the Liberal Party – a progressive party of the ‘sensible centre’, with individual freedom and aspiration at its core – put him at odds with the Liberals’ conservative wing. He clashed with them throughout most of his political career.

Sally Warhaft, left, and Malcolm Turnbull

His rocky ride in the Australian Parliament was defined by moments such as the carbon emissions debate and the historic same-sex marriage survey. These form just part of his new memoir, A Bigger Picture, which also recounts Turnbull’s rise to prominence as a successful lawyer, businessman and leader of Australia's Republican movement.

With Sally Warhaft, Turnbull discusses his life and the trajectory of his extraordinary career. The pair talk, too, about the current state of Australian politics, his notable encounters during his time in public office, and the pressures that permeate a Prime Ministership.

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