Wax off: Madame Tussauds suspends work on Malcolm Turnbull figure
As the Liberal Party grapples with the fallout from Friday's leadership change, an unexpected consequence of the end of Malcolm Turnbull's prime ministership has been revealed by none other than the Sydney outpost of Madame Tussauds.
The wax museum announced on Friday that work on a new wax figure for the now-former prime minister has stopped abruptly – and the museum's curators are considering whether it's even worth their while to continue adding more Australian prime ministers to its World Leaders exhibit.
"Malcolm Turnbull was set to be the next figure to take the stage in our World Leaders room but, in light of the current situation in Canberra, we have advised the studio team to stop work on the figure immediately," Madame Tussauds Sydney’s general manager, Mark Connolly, said.
It's not the first time the wax museum has halted the creation of an Australian political leader's statue due to their premature exit from office.
In 2013, weeks after work began on creating Kevin Rudd's figure, the team were advised to stop work.
In 2015, when Tony Abbott was voted out by his fellow MPs, the decision was made again.
The museum has now lost confidence in the ability of Australian politics to retain a leader long enough to build their likeness out of wax.
"Due to the high turnover of prime ministers, we cannot see ourselves making a figure of a sitting Australian prime minister again," Mr Connolly said.
"We want to ensure Madame Tussauds Sydney’s World Leaders room remains current and relevant to our local and international guests and not a room full of retired prime ministers, which has prompted our decision to put a halt on making figures of Australian prime ministers. We hope there are no hard feelings."
The only prime minister from the past 10 years to grace the halls of the wax museum is Julia Gillard, whose figure was unveiled in 2012.