Revelations that Malcolm Turnbull considered, or was approached about, joining the ALP towards the end of the 1999 republican referendum boiled down to a ‘he said, she said’ debate. This ended no where.
The republican debate, of which I was part, was an extraordinary experience. One of it’s forgotten aspects was that many people of different political persuasions were thrown together in a common cause.
Whatever the truth of Malcolm’s situation, a conversation evidently took place with the ALP. However, many conversations like that occurred during the republican debate, as I too was approached by a senior Labor figure to join up (I didn’t). They also had their eyes on the young Natasha Stott Despoja. Quite a number of people on both the monarchist and republican side ended up in parliament - Julie Bishop, Sophie Mirabella, Linda Kirk and Mary Delahunty. Party recruiters from all sides were very busy!
It is intriguing that this information about Malcolm, known to many political figures, has emerged now.
All this is set against the backdrop of the Federal Government trying to salvage it’s Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The Opposition is finding this a difficult issue to manage in it’s own ranks. These revelations were designed to further undermine Turnbull’s authority within his party, particularly with those who oppose the ETS and distrust Malcolm’s conservative credentials.
The whole ETS debate is quickly turning into a shambles. Political sideswipes such as this serve no purpose and just make the public impatient for a more co-operative approach. At least an agreement was reached on the renewable energy legislation.
It is hard to discern what would be a specifically Christian public policy response to the ETS. As the Social Issues Executive has highlighted, all things are under the lordship of Jesus. In addition, the competing interests here are limitless - industry, farmers, ordinary workers, consumers, and those living in Pacific Island nations who face inundation from rising seas.
Given these concerns, it is wrong to simply dismiss the climate change science, as some in the opposition have done. Now is the time for the exercise of that greatest of political skills from all sides: the art of the compromise.
