Know Your Prime Minister

Some insights into the character of Australia's PM Scott Morrison, culled from Herald journalist Peter Hartcher's expose: 'He was in it right up to his neck': How Morrison deposed a PM (26/3/19)

His duplicity:

"When a reporter asked Scott Morrison if he had ambitions for Malcolm Turnbull's job at a joint press conference, he responded by throwing a friendly arm around his prime minister's shoulder. 'This is my leader and I'm ambitious for him!' he declared exuberantly. That was on August 22, 2018. Two days later, Turnbull was gone. Morrison had taken his place."

His disciples:

"Once Turnbull had realised he probably couldn't survive, his key numbers man, Craig Laundy, the workplace minister at the time, agreed to talk to Morrison's backers about the situation. They were now simply doing the numbers for Morrison. The Turnbull and Morrison camps were united in seeking to block Dutton. Laundy sat down in the office of one of Morrison's key organisers, Alex Hawke... two days after the first ballot. He found himself in a meeting of Morrison's core support crew - Hawke, Stuart Robert, Ben Morton, Lucy Wicks and Bert van Manen. It was the Morrison prayer group... "

His scheming:

"Joyce told Turnbull, 'But Morrison is a schemer. Watch out for him. He's going to come for you.' To be noted as a schemer in a profession of schemers is a professional compliment. Such was Morrison's reputation in the Coalition."

His fascism:

"As the new immigration minister, Morrison brought forward a proposal to start detaining asylum seekers who were living in Australia on bridging visas awaiting the outcome of applications for permanent visas, according to multiple former and current ministers and officials. These were people living in the community. Morrison asked for $9 billion to $10 billion... to pay for a mass detention program. There were some 30,000 people in this category in Australia at that time... A spokesman for the Prime Minister said he had no recollection of such a proposal."