Daily Bulletin

Men's Weekly

.

  • Written by Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Under political pressure Malcolm Turnbull has finally put a figure of A$1.75 million on his donation to the Liberals’ re-election.

He revealed the amount on the ABC’s 7.30 just hours after he refused to do so when appearing for a major speech at the National Press Club.

Earlier on Wednesday the political donations list for 2015-16 was released. But it did not contain the Turnbull donation. This fell into this financial year and could, under the present rules, have remained undisclosed for another year.

Under questioning after his speech, Turnbull supported having more timely and transparent disclosure – which is, at present, being examined by a parliamentary committee.

But he would not specify the size of his own large donation, which earlier speculation had estimated at between $1 million and $2 million. His refusal quickly became a political distraction from a performance that was designed to kickstart his political year.

On 7.30 he cast the $1.75 million, which he described as “substantial”, in a context of he and wife Lucy making “big contributions to many important enterprises and causes.

"I’ve always been prepared to put my money where my mouth is,” he said. He sought to draw a contrast between himself and Bill Shorten, whom he also accused of “trying to run an old-fashioned politics-of-envy campaign”.

“Here’s the difference: I put my money into ensuring that we didn’t have a Labor government. I put my money into the Liberal Party’s campaign. I am not beholden to the CFMEU, like Bill Shorten is.

"I am not beholden to left-wing unions, who own Bill Shorten. … I stand up for my values, with the money that I’ve made, the money I’ve paid tax on, and Bill Shorten wants to go after me all the time.

"He says I’m ‘Mr Harbourside Mansion’. … I do live with Lucy in a nice house on the water in Sydney. Yes, we do. And we paid for it. We pay the expenses on it.

"Bill Shorten wants to live in a harbourside mansion for which every expense is paid for by the taxpayer. That’s the big difference.”

image Malcolm and Lucy Turnbull’s waterfront mansion in Point Piper. David Moir/AAP

Earlier Shorten had said he didn’t understand why Turnbull was keeping the donation amount secret because eventually it was going to become public. Shorten invoked the “Mr Harbourside Mansion” tag – originally coined by Peta Credlin, Tony Abbott’s former chief-of-staff – in the context of attacking Turnbul’s company tax cut plan.

Turnbull said in his speech that if there was a 25% business tax rate today, full-time workers on average weekly earnings would have an extra $750 in their pockets each and every year.

Shorten said: “That’s Mr Harbourside Mansion’s plan for Australia, an extra $2 a day in 20 years’ time for Australian workers. This really is trickle-down economics, this is Malcolm Turnbull’s crumbs from a rich man’s table economics.”

Authors: Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Read more http://theconversation.com/turnbull-finally-reveals-his-liberal-donation-was-1-75-million-72299

Business News

How to Extend the Lifespan of Your Conveyor System

It’s easy to forget your conveyor is even there, until it stops. And when it does, you’re in a world of delayed orders, unexpected downtime, and one very expensive headache. But the good news is tha...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

Virtual CFO Hiring Checklist: 10 Expert Tips in Australia

Hiring a Virtual CFO (VCFO) is no longer just reserved for large corporations. In today’s business environment, where agility, compliance, and strategic foresight are essential, Australian startups...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

Top Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Office Removalists in Perth

Moving a workplace is more than shifting workstations and computers; it is a complex project that can affect staff morale, customer service and revenue if it goes off-track. Perth’s commercial prope...

Daily Bulletin - avatar Daily Bulletin

LayBy Deals