Turnbull a breath of fresh air: Bishop

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is a breath of fresh air for the Liberal Party, its deputy leader Julie Bishop has told its Victoria state conference.

Malcolm Turnbull (L) and Julie Bishop

Julie Bishop (R) has described Malcolm Turnbull as a "breath of fresh air" for the Liberal Party. (AAP)

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has received a standing ovation from hundreds of Liberal Party members at the Victorian state conference on Saturday.

Ms Bishop told more than 350 members gathered in Geelong for the two-day meeting that it was never a more exciting time to be a Victorian Liberal.

She described their new federal leader Malcolm Turnbull as a "breath of fresh air" across the country.

"Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has brought a fresh, dynamic, optimistic, confident narrative," she said.

"The Australian people are listening and they like what they hear." Mr Turnbull could not be at the meeting because he was in Malta for a Commonwealth heads of government meeting, she said.

But the members did not appear to be disappointed with his stand-in, Ms Bishop, and gave her two standing ovations.

Several federal Liberal ministers and MPs were at the meeting , but there was no Tony Abbott and no mention of the former prime minister.

There was also no mention of its former Victorian Liberal director Damien Mantach, who is charged with 44 counts of fraud over allegations he stole $1.5 million in party funds.

The location of the meeting, Geelong, is an important city for the federal government.

Victoria's second most marginal federal seat is Corangamite, in Geelong, and is held by Liberal member Sarah Henderson.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world
Turnbull a breath of fresh air: Bishop | SBS News