Why a strong economy is doing nothing for Australia’s Turnbull

Still in charge: Turnbull gestures during a press conference in Parliament House in Canberra yesterday. The embattled leader narrowly survived a move to unseat him by his populist Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton on Tuesday with the Liberal party ballot voting 48-35 in his favour. — AFP

SYDNEY: Australia’s Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is battling for his survival despite overseeing a hiring boom in an economy that just capped its 27th recession-free year.

Turnbull has failed to preserve the political capital he enjoyed after ousting Tony Abbott in 2015, with his latest woes coming from within his own government as a rival readies another challenge for the top job. Even as the economy sails along and inches closer to full employment, something vital has been missing: wages growth.