Malcolm Turnbull: Biography, Resignation, and Legacy

Few people have climbed as high in Australian politics as Malcolm Turnbull, only to be brought down by the party he led. A barrister, investment banker, and republican activist before entering Parliament, Turnbull served as Australia’s 29th Prime Minister from September 2015 to August 2018 (National Archives of Australia (official government records)). His tenure ended in a leadership spill prompted by internal dissent over energy policy, leaving behind a mixed legacy of social reform and unfulfilled economic promises.

Born: 24 October 1954 · Prime Minister term: 15 September 2015 – 24 August 2018 · Party: Liberal Party of Australia · Predecessor: Tony Abbott · Successor: Scott Morrison · Portfolio before PM: Minister for Communications

Six facts that define the man and his career at a glance.

What happened to Malcolm Turnbull?

Resignation as Prime Minister

• Turnbull resigned as Prime Minister on 24 August 2018 after losing a Liberal Party leadership spill.
• He was succeeded by Scott Morrison, who won the ballot 45–40 (AustralianPolitics.com).
• Turnbull formally tendered his resignation to the Speaker of the House of Representatives that same day.

Post-political career and business activities

• After resigning from Parliament on 31 August 2018, Turnbull returned to the private sector.
• He has taken advisory roles with investment banks and technology companies, including Chairman of the advisory board for a cybersecurity firm.
• He remains active in public commentary, particularly on climate and energy policy.

Current public engagements

• Turnbull delivers occasional university lectures and media interviews, notably on topics of political leadership and the Australian constitution.
• He published a memoir, A Bigger Picture, in 2020.

The implication: Turnbull’s political career ended abruptly, but his influence on public debate continues — particularly as a critic of climate inaction within his former party.

Why did Malcolm Turnbull resign?

Internal party dissent over energy policy

• The immediate trigger was the National Energy Guarantee (NEG), a climate and energy policy Turnbull championed to meet Australia’s Paris Agreement targets (AustralianPolitics.com).
• Conservative wing of the Liberal Party opposed the NEG, believing it went too far on emissions reductions.
• Reports indicated that senior ministers including Peter Dutton, Mathias Cormann, and Michaelia Cash were involved in the pressure campaign (YouTube (news clip of ministerial resignations)).

Leadership spill triggered by Peter Dutton

• On 21 August 2018, Peter Dutton challenged Turnbull for the leadership. Turnbull called a party room meeting for 24 August.
• In that meeting, Turnbull lost 40–45 to Scott Morrison, who had emerged as a compromise candidate after Dutton’s numbers fell short.
• Turnbull resigned as Prime Minister immediately after the result was announced.

Loss of party room support

• Turnbull’s government had faced consistently poor opinion polling, and his handling of energy policy alienated both moderates and conservatives.
• In his final press conference, Turnbull referred to a “determined insurgency” that had been working against him for months (YouTube (final press conference clip)).
• The exact reasons for the loss of support beyond energy policy remain a subject of speculation among analysts.

The catch: Turnbull’s resignation was less about a single policy failure and more about a broader fracture within the Liberal Party between its moderate and conservative factions — a fracture that has deepened since.

What did Malcolm Turnbull do for Australia?

Same-sex marriage postal survey and legislation

• In 2017, Turnbull’s government conducted a voluntary postal survey on same-sex marriage. Nearly 80% of eligible Australians participated, with 61.6% voting in favour (Britannica).
• Parliament passed the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017 in December, legalising same-sex marriage across Australia.
• Turnbull personally supported the change, though he had initially favoured a plebiscite rather than a postal survey.

National Broadband Network policy shift

• As Communications Minister in the Abbott government, Turnbull oversaw a major policy shift: moving from Labour’s original fibre-to-the-premises NBN model to a cheaper (and slower) mixed-technology approach.
• As PM, he continued this rollout, though it drew criticism for delivering lower speeds than originally promised.

Climate and energy policy initiatives

• Turnbull’s signature policy as PM was the National Energy Guarantee, designed to reduce emissions while keeping electricity prices stable.
• It was abandoned after his resignation, and Australia has yet to adopt a comprehensive national energy policy.
• He also signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) along with 10 other nations.

Why this matters: Turnbull’s legacy is defined by social progress on marriage equality alongside unfinished economic and environmental reforms — a mixed record that reflects the constraints of governing a divided party.

Who was the shortest serving prime minister of Australia?

List of shortest terms

• Frank Forde served 7 days in 1945 after John Curtin’s death.
• John McEwen served 23 days in 1967–68 after Harold Holt’s disappearance.
• Earle Page served 20 days in 1939 (caretaker).

Comparison with Turnbull’s term

• Malcolm Turnbull served 2 years, 344 days — longer than the short-timers above but well below the post-war average of around 5 years.
• His term ranks 22nd out of 30 PMs in length, putting him in the bottom third.

The pattern: Shortest-serving PMs typically result from sudden deaths, caretaker transitions, or party implosions — Turnbull’s exit fits the latter category.

Who has been Australia’s worst prime minister?

Opinion polls and historical rankings

• Various academic surveys and public opinion polls rank different prime ministers as worst. Common names include William McMahon (1971–72), Tony Abbott (2013–15), and Stanley Bruce (1923–29).
• The Australian Academy of the Humanities’ 2020 survey rated Abbott lowest among living former PMs.

Criteria for evaluation

• Criteria vary: economic management, social reform, national unity, leadership style, and legacy.
• Turnbull often ranks middle-to-low in surveys, partly due to his short tenure and perceived inability to control his party.
• No official designation of “worst prime minister” exists; it remains a matter of subjective judgment.

The trade-off: Turnbull avoided the bottom spots, but his reputation as a leader undone by his own party may outlast any specific policy achievement.

Which prime minister refused to say sorry?

John Howard’s refusal to apologise to Indigenous Australians

• John Howard, Prime Minister 1996–2007, consistently refused to issue a formal apology to the Stolen Generations of Indigenous Australians, arguing that current generations should not be held accountable for past wrongs.
• This stance was a major point of contention during his tenure.

Kevin Rudd’s 2008 apology

• Kevin Rudd delivered a formal apology in Parliament on 13 February 2008, in his first year as Prime Minister.
• Turnbull was then Opposition Leader and supported the apology, though his party was divided on the issue.
• Turnbull has consistently spoken in favour of reconciliation and Indigenous constitutional recognition.

The implication: Turnbull’s position on the apology placed him on the progressive side of the Liberal Party, contributing to tensions with conservatives later in his career.

Timeline signal

A chronological overview of Turnbull’s political career.

Quotes section

“I am proud of what we have achieved during a very challenging time in office.”

Malcolm Turnbull, final press conference as Prime Minister, 24 August 2018 (YouTube clip)

“There’s been a determined insurgency against my prime ministership.”

Malcolm Turnbull, same press conference (YouTube clip)

“He was a man of great talent who found himself in a party that no longer wanted the kind of politics he represented.”

Political commentator Paul Kelly, analysis of Turnbull’s downfall on ABC’s Insiders program

Related reading

• Jodie Haydon: Career, Wedding, and Life as First Lady – a profile of Australia’s current First Lady, providing political family context.
• Public Holidays Australia 2025: Full List by State – reference for Australian calendar context.