He will be a pariah in the party hall and a lightning rod for the problems of the liberals. Fast forward and another book will be published in December, Bulldozed by journalist Niki Savva, a scathing critic of Morrison. It will bring more stories and bad publicity.
“The issue is not whether an apology has been made to Mr Frydenberg or Karen Andrews or others. The issue is that an apology is owed to the Australian people.”
– Anthony Albanese
The coalition members are well aware of the harm their continued presence will do them. While most may be shy about publicly saying it should go, their strong criticisms indicate the state of mind. Anger has increased during the week.
But Morrison doesn’t have an alternative job. And there is the question of by-elections.
Maybe your friends could help with the job search. By-elections are a weighing of disadvantages. What would be worse: Morrison staying at full range or the dangers and cost of a cooking competition?
If he can be persuaded to leave early, as he is expected to do at some point in the term, it would benefit Dutton’s opposition.
There was a substantial swing against Cook in the election, but he finished with a strong 62.44 percent of the two-party vote.
These days we see some big changes in by-elections, such as when former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian resigned (although her seat was retained). But Cook would be hard-pressed to beat Labor or a high-profile independent, and Liberal sources believe he would hold on. The Liberals could benefit if they ran a credible local candidate. (I could campaign on “Solving the Woman’s Problem”, just kidding.)
The NSW Liberals, facing a March election, would not welcome a costly federal by-election. But they have bigger problems and the scaremongering around Morrison is not helpful to the Liberal brand in general.
After enjoying days of political free-kicks, the Albanian government is pondering its next steps pending advice, due on Monday, from the attorney general on the legality of Morrison’s actions.
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Separately, Morrison’s failure to inform parliament that he had been appointed to various ministries could be referred to the privileges committee.
It may also be (although this is not yet clear) that the current practice of the House of Representatives needs to clarify or strengthen disclosure.
If Morrison’s behavior becomes an issue on the floor of the house, opposition members will have a delicate dance between defending their former leader and distancing themselves from him.
Albanese has been milking history a lot. He said on Thursday: “The issue is not whether an apology has been made to Mr Frydenberg or Karen Andrews or others. The issue is that an apology is owed to the Australian people.”
Anthony Albanese has been milking the story hard, writes Michelle Grattan. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
But the government knows that it must be careful not to overstep the mark: that it must follow the proper procedures, especially in parliament.
Also, he will want the public’s attention on his own agenda. The next parliamentary session comes just a couple of days after the jobs summit.
The government will have to focus on the positive aspects of this meeting. Many voters may be dismayed by Morrison, but for most there are more immediate concerns, particularly the rising cost of living.
Former ministers weren’t the only ones to get a nasty surprise from the revelations that followed the publication of Plagued, by Simon Benson and Geoff Chambers. Governor General David Hurley has taken a degree of pecking order this week that probably surprised him.
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Hurley obviously knew about the appointments because he formally made them. In doing so, he acted correctly, following the advice of the government.
But the issue surrounding him has become: Did he do enough? Critics say no, that he should have questioned this unusual course and warned that the appointments should be disclosed.
Hurley is clearly sensitive. He has issued two statements explaining his conduct, the second saying that he “had no reason to believe that the appointments would not be communicated”.
We don’t know for sure, but it’s very likely that what happened was that Hurley got the paperwork – the process was administrative, Morrison didn’t swear face-to-face – and took it for granted, without thinking about it. Remember also that the process was chained, with a maximum of two ministries involved at the same time.
Hurley said: “It is not uncommon for ministers to be appointed to run departments other than their portfolio responsibility.” True, but the prime minister is not just any minister. Hurley did not say that he was in fact dealing with something very strange.
Then Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Governor General David Hurley in 2019. Credit: Getty
Governors-general vary in how they operate in the more informal part of their role, which is to question and advise.
Paul Hasluck, who held office from 1969-1974, said in his 1972 lecture, “The Office of the Governor-General,” that “the personality and qualifications” of the incumbent can affect how to do the work (Hurley is a former chief of the defense force and a former governor of NSW.)
Hasluck went on to say that the “dominant role of the governor-general is to use his influence to ensure that there is care and deliberation, a close regard both for the requirements of law and the conventions of the Constitution and for the continuing interests of the whole nation”.
The influence of governors general will vary depending on how well they are respected, in terms of wisdom, experience, discretion and others, Hasluck observed. But the influence of the governor-general “would disappear completely if he was considered to be one who would do what he was told without asking the reasons.”
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Albanese supports Hurley. As it should be, even if Hurley didn’t get what he could have done to slow down Morrison. But it’s clear that Hurley’s reputation has been damaged by what he apparently didn’t do.
Scott Morrison leaves victims everywhere. His own legacy is, of course, the biggest casualty of all.
Michelle Grattan is a lecturer at the University of Canberra. This article first appeared on The Conversation.
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