The bitter struggle between Turnbull and Minchin

Fatefully, as it would turn out, Minchin does not believe in human induced climate change.

Turnbull, in contrast, has a more moderate stance on corporate regulation and is on record as saying WorkChoices went too far. He is, of course, a passionate believer in climate change.

They first publicly locked horns over the issue of an Australian republic. Turnbull was the chair of the Australian Republican Movement and most public advocate for the republic leading up to the 1999 referendum. Minchin was a staunch monarchist and, in 1996 as special minister of state in the Howard government, was assigned by the prime minister to manage the Constitutional Convention and all the arrangements for the forthcoming referendum on the issue. Of course, passionate monarchist Howard gave Minchin the underlying mission to sabotage the vote and ensure Australia did not become a republic.

This is confirmed by a speech Minchin gave in August 2006 at Old Parliament House, where he spoke about being back at the same venue where a decade before, at the Constitutional Convention, the conservatives suckered the republicans into accepting a dud model that scuppered the republic. Upon hearing this, Turnbull immediately stood up from his dinner and walked out.

Minchin’s next significant victory over Turnbull was in 2007 in the Liberal Party leadership ballot that Turnbull contested against Brendan Nelson. Minchin was instrumental in gathering enough numbers to ensure that the weak and unelectable Nelson gained the Opposition leadership for the conservative arm of the party by just three votes.

Shortly afterwards, Nick Minchin baited Turnbull, suggesting in the press that his failure to consult with party colleagues before declaring his opinion to the media on such issues as an apology to the Aboriginal “stolen generations” had cost him the leadership. Turnbull soon confronted Minchin over this in the party room whereupon Minchin told him he was “too f**king sensitive”.

Turnbull got some revenge over Minchin the following year when, in September 2008, despite Minchin’s best efforts, he was elected as leader of the parliamentary Liberal Party over the hapless Nelson. Turnbull gave Minchin a front bench position, but this did not prevent Minchin from repeatedly publicly undermining Turnbull’s position on climate change all throughout the following year.

Finally, in November that year, Minchin resigned his cabinet position in protest against Turnbull’s position on the government’s emissions trading scheme. This triggered another vote for the leadership, which Turnbull ultimately lost by a solitary vote to Tony Abbott, the Minchin candidate.

Turnbull was scathing about Minchin’s role in his defeat, saying on ABC Radio: “As Tony [Abbott] observed on one occasion, ‘climate change is crap’, or if you consider his mentor, Senator Minchin, the world is not warming, it’s cooling and the climate change issue is part of a vast left-wing conspiracy to deindustrialise the world”.

In a sign of the rift in the party, Turnbull accused Minchin and his “acolytes” in the “hard right” of bullying and intimidating the majority of the party room into agreeing with their position.

When Turnbull announced he was reversing his decision to resign from Parliament, Tony Abbott said he was “thrilled” by the decision. This didn’t stop Minchin from once again expressing his contempt for Turnbull:

“I thought Malcolm did the honourable thing in indicating he would not be a Liberal candidate at the next election,” said Minchin. “He completely disagrees with the current Coalition policy on CO2 reductions. He’s entitled to do so on the back bench. But obviously to be on the front bench he would need to support the policy.”