Malcolm Turnbull 'disappointed' by his boozy predecessor - Women's Agenda

Malcolm Turnbull ‘disappointed’ by his boozy predecessor

In a radio interview this morning with Melbourne’s 3AW, Malcolm Turnbull dressed down Tony Abbott and his “disappointing” drinking habits, suggesting the former Prime Minister’s professionalism was compromised by his immature antics in 2009.

Turnbull’s comments come after years of speculation and Tony Abbott’s eventual confession on the ABC’s program ‘The House’ that the night before the Rudd government’s $42 stimulus package was put to a vote in the House of Reps, he’d partaken in a heavy night of boozing.

Needless to say, he never made the vote. Instead, (like a uni student following a 3-day bender) he was found comatose on the office couch.

 

According to Turnbull, who was opposition leader at the time, parliamentary whips attempted to wake Abbott but were unable to “rouse him to get him down in the chamber to vote.”

Famously, the ALP’s Wayne Swan, publicly accused Abbott of being drunk during the 2009 proceedings, but was later forced to retract his comments with Abbott’s spokesperson suggesting Swan should “stop telling lies.”

Swan spoke out this morning following Abbott’s confession, accusing the former PM of “self indulgence” and suggesting his  “recklessness knows no bounds.”

Like a resigned parent with an unruly teenager on his hands, Turnbull’s comments this morning were likewise telling.

“It was a pretty important vote too … I was disappointed but you’ve got to move on with these things,” he expressed.

“I can’t remember anyone else missing a vote because they were too drunk to get in the chamber, but the fact is Tony Abbott has ‘fessed up to it. He knows it was an error or whatever, he’s acknowledged it. It’s clearly not acceptable or admirable in any way.”

Yeah, right. Try telling Tony that, Malcolm.

 

 

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