Turnbull fine tunes attack on Labor

Malcolm Turnbull spent day two as opposition leader fine-tuning his attack on Labor's economic failings and brushing off government attempts to paint him as a wealthy egomaniac. The new Liberal leader continued his blitz of the airwaves, sharpening his message that the Rudd government had failed to properly handle the economy since winning the election last year.

He accused Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of being ill-prepared to deal with the real issues worrying the nation, highlighting his attempt to wedge the coalition on the republic issue on Tuesday. "In every respect of their policy they have demonstrated an inability to come to
terms with the real issues," Mr Turnbull said in his first major speech to parliament as leader.

"Only yesterday, greeted with a new leader of the opposition, the prime minister chooses on the day after the fourth largest investment bank in the world goes into bankruptcy, after a massive fall in Wall Street ... in all of that turmoil the prime minister seeks to work with me and collaborate with me on what issue?

"The economy? The Murray Darling Basin? The environment? No, the republic. No focus on the issues of today, no priorities, no commitment to the real issues of our time."

After a low-key beginning yesterday, Mr Turnbull dominated the coalition attack in question time, taking on Mr Rudd and Treasurer Wayne Swan over the economy and pensions, and launching a sustained attack over the government's handling of a high-profile terrorism case.

Conscious of perceptions he is a rich loner, Mr Turnbull continued to explain he was a self-made man and had learnt the art of consultation.
The government tempered its portrayal of the multi-millionaire businessman as a silvertail after Mr Turnbull pointed out that Mr Rudd was likely Australia's richest prime minister. "I say good luck to the Rudds," he told ABC radio. "Therese Rein, his wife has built a very big, successful and very valuable business, Kevin I know has been a great supporter to her in that. Lucy and I similarly have started out without very much and we've done well too in business."

Liberals MPs accused the government of being engaged in class warfare, out to cut down a tall poppy. "His life embodies the Liberal values. He's made a great success of his life that ought to be admired, not denigrated as Labor is seeking to do," deputy Liberal
leader Julie Bishop told ABC radio.

That didn't stop Labor ministers from to ridiculing Mr Turnbull's battler status in question time.

Infrastructure Minister Anthony Albanese mocked him as a "reborn friend of the battler" who was from "Struggle Street in Point Piper", a wealthy Sydney harbourside suburb.

Finance Minister Lindsay Tanner followed a similar theme. "The leader of the opposition has been seeking to cast a bit of cover on who he
really is in recent times," he said. "He indicated that because he lived in a flat for a time as a kid or something, he is the great representative of Struggle Street and the battlers.

"(But) the Australian people are less interested in whether you come from privilege than whether you represent privilege."

Mr Tanner took aim at his ego too. "Malcolm Turnbull's given nine major interviews in the media, he has not mentioned in any serious way health or education policy once," he told Sky News. "He's talked an awful about Malcolm Turnbull, he has not put forward any serious
major new policy initiative."