Morrison ‘done with’ Mal

PRIME Minister Scott Morrison is “done with” Malcolm Turnbull and will no longer ask the former leader to represent Australia at international conferences following his failure to help campaign in Wentworth.

In September, Mr Morrison asked Mr Turnbull to represent the Australian Government at the Our Ocean Legacy conference in Bali next week — a de- cision that has been met with a backlash from Liberal and National MPs after the former prime minister did not even send a tweet backing the Liberal Party in the by-election caused by his resignation.

Senior Liberal sources said while he would not rescind the decision to allow Mr Turnbull to represent Australia next week in Bali, Mr Morrison was now “done with” Mr Turnbull — a claim denied by the Prime Minister’s office.

“Scott has said to a number of senior Liberals that he doesn’t want anything further to do with Malcolm,” a senior Liberal source said.

The pair had been communicating regularly over WhatsApp prior to Mr Turnbull’s decision to reject Mr Morrison’s request to help Liberal Party candidate Dave Sharma campaign against independent Dr Kerryn Phelps in Wentworth.

Mr Turnbull, who told jour- nalists yesterday he was “out of partisan politics”, was invited to attend the conference by the Indonesian Government in March when still prime minister.

After the August leadership spill, Mr Morrison said he was unable to attend the conference, so asked Mr Turnbull to still go. All of Mr Turnbull’s travel and accommodation costs will be covered by taxpayers during the trip.

Mr Morrison’s office issued a statement denying Mr Turnbull had been banned from representing Australia at such events, adding that Mr Morrison “will be seeking to maintain a positive relationship with the former PM as he would do with any other former PMs”.

However, Nationals MP and former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce said Mr Turnbull may be “sulking” after losing the leadership.

“I think he’s angry about losing his job — one can only presume some sulking. I suggest that probably gives us a very good reason not to send him to Bali,” Mr Joyce said.

The Wentworth by-election has still not been officially declared, with the Australian Electoral Commission still counting postal votes yesterday. Dr Phelps’ lead dropped by 74 votes to 1552 as Mr Sharma secured 55 per cent of the postal votes counted yesterday. He needed upward of 70 per cent to dent the margin.