The election of Malcolm Turnbull as federal Liberal Party leader has enlivened the political scene and guarantees that Kevin Rudd will face a tougher contest in parliament and the media.

Brendan Nelson really did nothing wrong, but it seemed he was simply a stop-gap leader until either Peter Costello or Mr Turnbull took the chair. Mr Costello's ambivalence triggered the events of this week and his future remains unclear.

Dr Nelson was undermined by his colleagues, who drowned out his message on fuel prices, alcohol tax and pensions with constant leadership speculation. Dr Nelson's grace in moving to the backbench is a credit to his character and hopefully he can be persuaded to join the shadow ministry in future.

Labor has targeted Mr Turnbull as wealthy and elitist. Invoking the tall-poppy syndrome is poor form and will almost certainly be rejected in the community.

Despite being caught off guard by the leadership spill, Mr Turnbull has hit the ground running and shifted the debate from personalities to policies.

He wisely declined the Prime Minister's invitation to work co-operatively on the republic issue and focused instead on the economy.

Mr Rudd knows the republic debate is divisive for the Coalition. Mr Turnbull knows the Labor Government is vulnerable in the economic debate.

Liberal sitting members in this region, Patrick Secker and David Hawker, have welcomed Mr Turnbull's ascension. There appears to be a renewed sense of purpose in the Liberal Party and that's healthy for the nation.

A weak opposition can make for a weak government.