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Sky News host Chris Smith says Malcolm Turnbull has "done nothing since being booted from office" but "wreck anything connected to the Liberal Party", tipping his "campaign of revenge" will now become "turbo-charged".

"When the NSW Environment Minister Matt Kean, came to his senses, or was made to, and reversed the outrageous decision, to hand former PM Malcolm Turnbull, a plum green job, advising the government, it was a victory for people power," he said.

"But with a precarious by-election coming up in the coalfields of the Upper Hunter next month, flagging a war with coalminers was the last thing the National Party wanted to hear:

"It was untenable. untenable even before his radio declaration of war; because Turnbull has also been at war with the party he was about to advise constantly.

"Not to mention several conflicts of interest including the fact that he's the chair of Twiggy Forrest's Fortescue Future Industries. This is a group planning to make a killing on power from hydrogen. But you can't be a player in the renewable game, and the referee as well."