Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has denied he is encouraging voters in traditional Liberal strongholds to consider backing so-called 'teal independents', but argues his party could be about to get a wake-up call at the upcoming election.
Mr Turnbull will deliver an address to a dinner event in Washington DC this morning, following a familiar theme in lamenting the shift of the Liberal party to the right, and the marginalisation of "moderate" voices on matters such as the "toxically controversial issue of climate change".
In an advance copy of the speech, seen by the ABC, the former Liberal leader notes the election of more of the teal independents "will mean the capture of the Liberal Party will be thwarted by direct, democratic action from voters … People power, you might say."
One of the most high-profile battles between a Liberal and independent candidate is in Mr Turnbull's former electorate of Wentworth, in Sydney's east, where the incumbent MP Dave Sharma is being challenged by Allegra Spender.
Mr Turnbull held the seat for 14 years, before quitting parliament in 2018 after the Liberal leadership coup that resulted in Scott Morrison becoming Australia's 30th Prime Minister.
Turnbull 'encouraging people to vote'
On first glance, his speech appears to be a call to arms for voters disgruntled with the state of affairs within the Liberal Party.
But Mr Turnbull insisted he was not urging anyone to shift their vote.
"In the federal party room, the tide has really gone out for the smaller 'L' liberals and the moderates," he told the ABC's AM program.
"So the consequence is that people who were more comfortable with that side of the Liberal Party are, if you like, voting with their feet, and supporting 'teal independents'.
The former leader has cautioned against the arguments of his successor, that the election of independent candidates would result in instability and chaos.
Mr Turnbull disagreed.
"Look at the last sort of minority government in Australia, federal level — the Gillard government between 2010 and 2013," he said.
"Gillard depended on the support of crossbench independents for confidence and supply, but they weren't the cause of instability — the cause of the instability was the Rudd v Gillard civil war within the Labor Party.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison, unsurprisingly, did not agree with his former leader's comments.
"I have always treated former prime ministers of both political persuasions with the utmost of dignity and respect," Mr Morrison told reporters in Perth.
"I don't share his view.
"The chaos of a parliament driven by the daily musings of independents who haven't had the experience to deal with the serious security and economic challenges our country faces, that is going to hurt people's incomes, it's going to hurt people's jobs, it's going to damage Australian security."
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese seized on the remarks and argued Mr Turnbull's assessment of the Liberal Party was backed up by the fact the Prime Minister was not campaigning in seats at risk of falling to independents.
"The Liberal Party are divided, they're a rabble," Mr Albanese said.
"They're led by a man who a whole lot of his own frontbench don't want him anywhere near their seat, and don't want to appear with him in public."
