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Government

Turnbull wins shadow comms role

Former Liberal Leader Malcolm Turnbull has been sworn in as shadow communications minister, charged with keeping an eye on the government's National Broadband Network policy, which Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott said would be the centre of political battle over the next 18 months.
Written by Darren Pauli, Contributor

Former Liberal Leader Malcolm Turnbull has been sworn in as shadow communications minister, charged with keeping an eye on the government's National Broadband Network policy, which Liberal Party Leader Tony Abbott said would be the centre of political battle over the next 18 months.

Malcolm Turnbull

Malcolm Turnbull (Credit: Liberal Party)

Abbott told reporters this afternoon that Turnbull will be a formidable opponent to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

"Who better to hold the government to account than Malcolm Turnbull, who has the technical and business expertise to entirely demolish the government [on broadband]?" Abbott said. "This is going to be the absolute focus of the political battle over the next 18 months."

Former Shadow Communications Spokesperson Tony Smith will be the shadow parliamentary chair for tax reform and deputy chair on the Coalition's policy development committee.

Despite his demotion, Abbott said Smith "still has a big contribution to make".

"This is a stronger, hungrier team that will better hold government to account and better present as an alternative government," Abbott said.

Smith oversaw the Coalition's wireless broadband counter-policy to the National Broadband Network, and was widely criticised for remaining silent on a number of key portfolio issues, including the Coalition's position on the government's planned internet content filter.

Abbott described the portfolio reshuffle, which introduced new blood including three female ministers, as "snakes and ladders".

He dismissed suggestions that Turnbull would be well positioned to gun for the leadership, saying that "no one would be happier than I if he succeed magnificently in this portfolio".

Abbott said that the National Broadband Network will become "an icon of waste and incompetence" and that it would be to this term of government "what pink batts and school halls were to the last".

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