ID :
14876
Mon, 08/04/2008 - 21:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/14876
The shortlink copeid
Costello tight-lipped on future
Peter Costello remained tight-lipped about his political future as his publisher admitted wanting to keep him under wraps until his memoirs are released in six weeks time.
The former federal treasurer said hello to waiting media as he arrived at his electorate office in Melbourne on Monday, fresh from a family holiday in the Pacific.
But he refused to say whether he was considering challenging Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson for the Liberals' top job.
Mr Costello has not spoken publicly about his future since the day after the November 24 election, when he said he was moving to the backbench and working towards a career in commerce.
But continuing bad opinion polls for Dr Nelson and his embarrassing policy backdown on climate change have fuelled speculation that Mr Costello is considering a comeback.
He is not expected to make a public announcement until his memoirs are published on September 15.
Publisher Louise Adler, of Melbourne University Press, is delighted with the publicity the speculation is generating.
"One couldn't be in a better position as a book publisher than we are currently," Ms Adler told ABC Radio.
She did not say whether she had advised Mr Costello to maintain the secrecy until the publication date, but said that was standard practice.
"We like to keep all of our authors under wraps until the book's publication. We want to maximise media interest in all of our books - that's the conventional strategy a publisher adopts," she said.
She described the book as a political memoir traversing Mr Costello's career from his time at Monash University "through the Dollar Sweets campaign all the way through to the election last year".
Readers would have to wait to see if it was kind or unkind to former prime minister John Howard, who thwarted Mr Costello's leadership ambitions for more than a decade, she said.
Dr Nelson, who leaves on an official visit to the US and Britain on Tuesday, said he was not going to press Mr Costello for a decision.
But he also rejected suggestions he should step aside for Mr Costello.
"For 20 years people have said to me all sorts of things - you know, you won't do this, you won't do that," Dr Nelson said.
"All I can say to you is people who say that don't know me. I am very, very determined and I am very tough and I will lead us to the next election."A Liberal senator with close links to Mr Costello attempted to douse the leadership speculation, saying there was no uncertainty about his plans.
"Peter Costello made clear that he's not available for the leadership and that remains the case ... he did that the day after the election," Senator Fifield, a former Costello staffer, said.
"He flagged he was thinking about the next phase of his professional life, that he would do that with his family, and I'm sure that's what he's doing.
"There isn't uncertainty."
The former federal treasurer said hello to waiting media as he arrived at his electorate office in Melbourne on Monday, fresh from a family holiday in the Pacific.
But he refused to say whether he was considering challenging Opposition Leader Brendan Nelson for the Liberals' top job.
Mr Costello has not spoken publicly about his future since the day after the November 24 election, when he said he was moving to the backbench and working towards a career in commerce.
But continuing bad opinion polls for Dr Nelson and his embarrassing policy backdown on climate change have fuelled speculation that Mr Costello is considering a comeback.
He is not expected to make a public announcement until his memoirs are published on September 15.
Publisher Louise Adler, of Melbourne University Press, is delighted with the publicity the speculation is generating.
"One couldn't be in a better position as a book publisher than we are currently," Ms Adler told ABC Radio.
She did not say whether she had advised Mr Costello to maintain the secrecy until the publication date, but said that was standard practice.
"We like to keep all of our authors under wraps until the book's publication. We want to maximise media interest in all of our books - that's the conventional strategy a publisher adopts," she said.
She described the book as a political memoir traversing Mr Costello's career from his time at Monash University "through the Dollar Sweets campaign all the way through to the election last year".
Readers would have to wait to see if it was kind or unkind to former prime minister John Howard, who thwarted Mr Costello's leadership ambitions for more than a decade, she said.
Dr Nelson, who leaves on an official visit to the US and Britain on Tuesday, said he was not going to press Mr Costello for a decision.
But he also rejected suggestions he should step aside for Mr Costello.
"For 20 years people have said to me all sorts of things - you know, you won't do this, you won't do that," Dr Nelson said.
"All I can say to you is people who say that don't know me. I am very, very determined and I am very tough and I will lead us to the next election."A Liberal senator with close links to Mr Costello attempted to douse the leadership speculation, saying there was no uncertainty about his plans.
"Peter Costello made clear that he's not available for the leadership and that remains the case ... he did that the day after the election," Senator Fifield, a former Costello staffer, said.
"He flagged he was thinking about the next phase of his professional life, that he would do that with his family, and I'm sure that's what he's doing.
"There isn't uncertainty."
