Malcolm Turnbull

Who is Malcolm Turnbull?

Malcolm Bligh Turnbull is an Australian politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Wentworth in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs since 2004. He was the Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Liberal Party from 2008 to 2009, and has been the Minister for Communications since 18 September 2013.

Turnbull was educated at Sydney Grammar School and the University of Sydney, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws. He then attended Brasenose College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Law. Prior to entering politics, he worked as a journalist, lawyer, investment banker, and venture capitalist. In 1993, he became the Chairman of the Australian Republican Movement, a position he held until 2000.

In September 2008, Turnbull was elected Leader of the Liberal Party, becoming the Leader of the Opposition. In November 2009, he ordered the Liberal Party to support the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme proposed by the Labor Government. This decision split the Liberal Party, and following a leadership challenge by Tony Abbott on 1 December, Turnbull lost the leadership by one vote.