Labor courted me, Turnbull claims

Embattled Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull has denied he tried to forge a career
with Labor, the party that is now supposed to be his enemy.
But he says the ALP certainly "courted" him.
The opposition leader is floundering in the polls, and Labor has been seeking to
drive home its advantage by discrediting him.
A media outlet now claims to have evidence that Mr Turnbull lobbied six senior ALP
figures in the 1990s about joining up.
Mr Turnbull dismissed the media report as Labor "gossip and smear".
"I have never approached the Labor Party about running for a seat in parliament," he
told reporters in Sydney.
"I have had many discussions with ALP figures over the years and I have been courted
... and encouraged to join the ALP, which is hardly surprising."
Mr Turnbull said he had "a lot of good friends" in the ALP and they had lobbied him
about joining, not the other way around.
It's long been known Mr Turnbull flirted with the ALP before signing up with the
Liberals, but the latest story paints him as pursuing Labor more eagerly, which
could indicate a less heartfelt commitment to the Liberal cause.
Senior government minister Martin Ferguson attacked Mr Turnbull for "shopping
around" for a political party.
"He was basically saying `I'm out there, I'm a gun for hire, if you want me in the
Labor Party I'll say what you want me to say, alternatively I can go to the Liberal
party;", the resources minister told Network Ten.
Mr Ferguson denied Labor was trying to finish off Mr Turnbull by spreading the story.
"I think Malcolm will finish himself off," he said.
Senior opposition figures leapt to Mr Turnbull's defence, although they appeared
unsure of exactly what discussions took place between him and Labor figures.
Deputy opposition leader Julie Bishop said Labor was trying to convince people Mr
Turnbull was a "closet socialist".
"I have known Malcolm Turnbull for 20 years and he has always been a Liberal," Ms
Bishop told Sky News.
Senior Nationals Senator Barnaby Joyce sought to distance himself from the affair.
"He (Mr Turnbull) is not my leader," Senator Joyce told the Nine Network.
"My leader is Warren Truss, I'm in the National Party and we are in a business
relationship which is the coalition."
The Nationals have been trying to establish themselves as a more independent entity
from their coalition partner, the Liberals.
In response to Senator Joyce's remarks, Mr Turnbull reiterated that he was the
leader of the opposition. He said he assumed Senator Joyce was making the point that
the Nationals were indeed a separate party.