Malcolm Turnbull last night said he would stick with existing Coalition policy on key issues such as climate change — and he expected the parliament to run its full term.
Malcolm Turnbull and supporters arrive for the Liberal leadership ballot last night.
Speaking after he won the leadership ballot from Tony Abbott, Mr Turnbull promised to respect the “broad church of the Liberal Party’’. While policies could be reviewed and adapted in a consultative manner, he explicitly supported the government’s direct action policy. He had been a member of the cabinet that endorsed it and it was “one that I support today’’.
Sources close to Mr Turnbull said he had also told MPs before the ballot that he would continue to support the current government policy of having a plebiscite on same-sex marriage.
Mr Turnbull moved to head off concerns that he would take the party to the Left on social and environmental issues if he won the leadership pledging to be consultative and restore “traditional cabinet government’’.