Event: Turnbull

Liberals preferencing One Nation a ‘retrograde move’, Turnbull saysPetra StockFormer prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has called the Liberal party’s decision to preference One Nation in the Farrer byelection, “a retrograde move”.Speaking at a climate and energy panel on Monday, Turnbull said: double quotation markI mean, look at the Liberal party – the party I’ve led in the parliament, in opposition and in government – instructing its voters to give preferences to One Nation in the byelection in Farrer. I mean, that would have been inconceivable during my time as prime minister, or indeed, Tony Abbott’s, or John Howard’s. Now, One Nation – apart from preying on racism and division, its whole MO for 30 years, Pauline Hanson’s MO would be to divide Australia – is, of course, right out there in the climate change denial business. It says, climate change is rubbish, the science is not yet proven. [One Nation] is literally out of the dark ages in terms of economic reality. You get a mainstream party, like the Liberal party – the party I’ve led twice, as I said – preferring that. It’s very, very sad. It’s a really retrograde move. And I hope the Liberal voters in Farrer do not preference One Nation at all. They should put One Nation last, in fact. Turnbull was speaking on a panel with former prime minister Kevin Rudd, Christiana Figueres, diplomat and architect of the Paris Climate Agreement, and Anna Skarbek, chief executive officer of Climateworks Centre, in conversation with Thom Woodroofe, for the launch of his book, Power, Prosperity & Planet: Climate and Energy Policy for All.Malcolm Turnbull. Photograph: Anna Kucera/AAPKey events48m agoVictoria government announces ‘record’ $1.04bn in upcoming budget to repair roads2h agoLiberals preferencing One Nation a ‘retrograde move’, Turnbull says4h agoPolice believe two bodies found after Blue Mountains…