AUSTRALIA ELECTION 2022: Scott Morrison, the incumbent | Part 1

SEAN NICHOLLS, REPORTER:  (off camera) “We rolling?”

CAMERA OPERATOR (off camera) “We are”.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  What’s the first thing you think of when I mention the name Scott Morrison?

JOANNE KELLY, ADMIN OFFICER, SEAT: LONGMAN QLD, VOTING HISTORY:  LIBERAL,LABOR

Well, everyone calls him ScoMo we know that, uh, little phrase that sums him up, a family man?

TAREK AMYRA, PHARMACIST, SEAT: CHISHOLM, VIC, VOTING HISTORY: LABOR, LIBERAL, GREENS

Scotty from marketing. It’s just always been the way that he’s just always trying to get the best image he can out there, purely for the cameras.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Some time in the next few months voters like these will decide Scott Morrison’s fate.

PAT GALLAGHER, MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT, SEAT:  GILMORE NSW, VOTING HISTORY: LIBERAL, LABOR, INDEPENDENT:  He’s tried really hard given the extraordinary circumstances. 

SOUMYA GANGULY, CIVIL ENGINEER, SEAT:  PARRAMATTA  NSW, VOTING HISTORY: LIBERAL, LABOR  Dynamic, friendly, approachable.

CALEB WU, IT CONSULTANT, SEAT: PARRAMATTA  NSW, VOTING HISTORY:  LABOR, LIBERAL 

I’d go with stubborn. Yeah

CATH SATTLER, RETIRED ENGINEER, SEAT: CORANGAMITE  VIC, VOTING HISTORY:  LIBERAL

Wouldn’t trust him as far as I could throw him.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Scott Morrison’s prime ministership has been a roller coaster ride, tested by natural disaster, economic upheaval and political scandal.

CROWD CHANTING:  ScoMo, ScoMo, ScoMo

SCOTT MORRISON  Thank you friends, thank you friends.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  With the election looming, Four Corners spoke to people in key electorates across the country who say they are still deciding who will get their vote.

STEPHEN BATTAGLIA, AUDITOR, SEAT:  COWAN  WA, VOTING HISTORY: LABOR, GREENS INDEPENDENT:  Hello, my name’s Stephen. I live in the northern suburbs of Perth.

SOUMYA GANGULY:  I am from Western Sydney

JOANNE KELLY:  I live in Morayfield, Queensland.

TAREK AMYRA:  I’m from the south east suburbs of Melbourne.

EVA ZHANG, PROFESSIONAL DANCER, SEAT: CHISHOLM  VIC, VOTING HISTORY:  LABOR, LIBERAL

[In Mandarin] I live in Melbourne.

SEAN NICHOLLS: Tonight we examine Scott Morrison’s record through the eyes of these voters and the issues they say will influence their vote.

ROBINA BAMFORTH, RETIREE, SEAT: CORANGAMITE, VOTING HISTORY: LABOR, INDEPENDENT Leadership

CALEB WU:  The Covid-19 response.

ADAM WOTHERSPOON, SALES REP, SEAT:  GILMORE  NSW, VOTING HISTORY:  LIBERAL, LABOR

How the government spends our money.

CATH SATTLER:  The environment.

PAT GALLAGHER:  I need a leader that shows integrity.

And we hear from the pundits about the challenges facing the prime minister.

NIKI SAVVA, AUTHOR AND COLUMNIST, NINE NEWSPAPERS:  Campaigning is one of his great strengths, you know, he’s a master at it. Um, so they would be relying on him again to show that.

GRAHAME MORRIS, FORMER LIBERAL PARTY STRATEGIST:  A lot of those new things about whether or not he’s daggy dad and you know, how many kids he’s got, all of that sort of stuff will not play well second time round. You can’t do, um, newness twice.

KATHARINE MURPHY, POLITICAL EDITOR, GUARDIAN AUSTRALIA;  He’s the master of the slogan and the catchphrase. What he’s learnt in the prime ministership is sometimes the slogan and the catchphrase can be weaponized against you.

TITLE:    ELECTION 22: AUSTRALIA’S CHOICE, PART 1 THE INCUMBENT

REPORTER: SEAN NICHOLLS

SEAN NICHOLLS:   What’s the first thing you remember about Scott Morrison?

ROBINA BAMFORTH:  I think it was probably during the, um, the, the time when they were, um, plotting to get rid of Malcolm Turnbull. So that’s really when I think he came to the fore as, as the dark horse in the, in the mix.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  How Scott Morrison became prime minister is still fresh in the minds of some voters.

JOURNALIST: Can you rule out having any leadership ambitions?

SCOTT MORRISON: Me? This is my leader and I’m ambitious for him.

MALCOLM TURNBULL: Yeah good on you. Thanks, ScoMo.

Morrison’s pledge of loyalty right before taking the leadership has fuelled enduring questions about how he operates.

NIKI SAVVA:   It wasn’t like it just came out of nowhere. There’d been a lot of preplanning, premeditating. He wasn’t the accidental prime minister.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  How do you think that affected people’s view of the prime minister and his trustworthiness?

GRAHAME MORRIS:   I don’t think it had anything to do with the trustworthiness. It had everything to do with, “Hey, there’s a new bloke here. He’s not Malcolm Turnbull. He’s interesting. And what’s he got to say?” So it was like a breath of fresh air because the Coalition was in terrible, terrible trouble under Malcolm Turnbull.

TAREK AMYRA:   I remember him having his, uh, arm over his shoulder and saying, “This is my leader.” And then, three days later, he was the, um, the new prime minister. And so when you say one thing and then, three days later you’re, you know, obviously doing something else then, yeah, this tells me that, that’s a career politician.

PAT GALLAGHER:   Character’s very important to me and integrity and just the way that it all happened, it just really smelt a little bit for me.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  And what did that make you think about Scott Morrison? 

PAT GALLAGHER: Just the fact that he’ll do whatever it took to become leader of this country.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Morrison’s energetic campaigning style earned him the nickname Scotty from Marketing, courtesy of satirical website The Betoota Advocate.

“CLANCY OVERELL” SATIRIST, THE BETOOTA ADVOCATE:   Well the first time we saw Scott Morrison as Scotty From Marketing, I guess was on, uh, the election campaign probably, it was the Easter Sunday, but it was after they’d gotten all the policy out of the way, you know? So now, this is just, “How much of a human am I in the election campaign?” He took them to his church down there in Cronulla which is a Pentecostal church and we’ve all seen the images, they’ve been released, hand in the air, eyes closed, very Pentecostal.   And from there, took the cameras with him and his family went straight to the Easter Show, dagwood dogs, cans of Cokes, he’s on the rides, he’s on the swings, he’s in the showbag pavilion, he’s just redlining. That was when we were like, “Fuck, righto. This is, what’s Shorten done today?” And we go, go look up what Shorten had done today.

“ERROL PARKER”, SATIRIST, THE BETOOTA ADVOCATE:  He went for a run, which you know, I guess is, in the scheme of things, is, is, is not as relatable, I don’t think, as you know, desecrating your body with a dagwood dog and a can of Coke.

SCOTT MORRISON:   I have always believed in miracles! I’m standing with the three biggest miracles in my life here tonight – and tonight we’ve been delivered another one.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   Defying the polls, Scott Morrison pulled off a narrow election victory, winning over voters with his every man image.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   What would you say Scott Morrison stands for?

CALEB WU:   I think he stands for like traditional Australian values and he cares about the economy. So I think he really puts Australia first.

PAT GALLAGHER:  I know he stands for his family. They’re very, very important to him. He loves the Cronulla Sharks. I know that. And he is a man of faith. I know that. But I don’t really know what else he would stand up for, what Scott Morrison would say, “Look, this is the line in the sand. This is it.”

ROBINA BAMFORTH:  I respect people who have religious views, whatever they are, I don’t care. If they’re Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, um, Buddhist, uh, and he does have strong views. And, and that’s, that’s a good thing. That’s a tick in the box as far… I don’t necessarily have to agree with his church, or his views, um, but I think that that’s, that is a good, a good aspect of his persona.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  The first major test of Scott Morrison’s leadership was the black summer bushfires that began in 2019.

STEPHEN BATTAGLIA:    The first thing I remember about him is him being in Hawaii on a holiday while Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia have got these mass- bush fires, it’s a  massive bush fire or there’s bush fires, and there’s bush fires all across the country and he’s having a holiday and showing absolutely no leadership and it seemed almost to be an attitude of, well, I’m on holiday. Don’t disturb me.

ROBINA BAMFORTH:    No one denies that Prime Ministers or any public servant is entitled to leave, right? And, under other circumstances, he would’ve trotted off, and we probably wouldn’t have known very much, ’cause yes, government goes on regardless of the Prime Minister’s presence. It was just a really bad call that he didn’t come back, right? Oh, I’m on holiday in Hawaii, having a wonderful time. East coast of Australia is burning to a cinder.

CALEB WU:    As a public servant, given that he then took a holiday at that time when everyone was struggling, that was a really bad move in terms of image, which in politics is pretty much everything.

EVA ZHANG:   At that time I was a bit disappointed because at such a critical moment, in my opinion, he should be fighting with us or on the front line.

GRAHAME MORRIS:   Um, it’s sad, isn’t it? When you can’t have a holiday at Christmas time when your family gets you into trouble. But be that as it may, um, people thought he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  And I think most, most quiet Australians understand the prime minister is entitled have a holiday at some stag. Now it just so happened that with the fires got worse and worse, so he had to come back, obviously he had to come back.

SEAN NICHOLLS: Morrison’s explanation only made things worse.

JOHN STANLEY, PRESENTER, RADIO 2GB:    Was it a mistake not to announce that you were going on leave?

SCOTT MORRISON:   I think on this occasion, John, because there have been such horrendous events that has understandably caused a lot of anxiety and I deeply regret that and so does Jenny.   But I know Australians understand this and they’ll be pleased I’m coming back I’m sure. They know that, you know, I don’t hold a hose, mate, and I don’t sit in a control room. That’s the brave people who do that are doing that job.

NIKI SAVVA:   He gave that immortal quote about “I don’t hold a hose mate”. I think that will go on his political epitaph.  Nobody expected him to go out and fight the fires. Well, no they didn’t. But they did expect him to be here.

KATHARINE MURPHY:   He’s the master of the slogan and the catchphrase. What he’s learned in the prime minister-ship is sometimes the slogan and the catchphrase can be weaponized against you. And I don’t hold a hose mate is a classic example. If you sort of look at it as a piece of communication, it’s clear, crisp, concise. It tells the voter what, what you are or not, not doing. But it’s become a bit of insignia of his prime minister-ship because it’s that sense of absence that this guy is sometimes absent and at moments when the country would assume you would be present.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  There were uncomfortable scenes when he toured a bushfire ravaged community on his return.

SCOTT MORRISON:   Hello, how are you?

WOMAN AT SHOWGROUND:    I’m only shaking your hand if you give more funding to our RFS. So many people here have lost their homes.

WOMAN AT SHOWGROUND:  How come we only had four trucks to defend our town?

MAN AT SHOWGROUND, shouting:  No Liberal votes, you’re out son, you’re out.

SOUMYA GANGULY:  So that is when the country was going through a big crisis. And at that point of time, you definitely see that the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, didn’t rise up to the level for what is expected from a Prime Minister that way. So I didn’t think that he handled it really good and that didn’t speak very high of him as, as a person, as well as a, as a leader in that particular incident.

ROBINA BAMFORTH:   Um, it was, definitely indicating, you know, his, his level of disconnectedness with the, the, what was happening in Australia. Which is, which is poor leadership.

NEWS REPORT:    Tonight, Australia’s first confirmed case of coronavirus, a man is treated in a Melbourne hospital, a number of cases in NSW are considered probable.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  The covid -19 pandemic has been the greatest challenge of Scott Morrison’s prime ministership.

ADAM WOTHERSPOON:   I think he really redeemed himself when COVID-19 started. And the way that he wasn’t trying to shy away from it, he was front and centre. He wasn’t afraid to front the media, he was doing his daily interviews. So I think that was a great redeeming factor, and that then showed, okay, yes, he is a leader.

SCOTT MORRISON:   A travel ban will be placed on all non-residents, not Australian citizens, coming to Australia. And that will be in place from 9:00 pm tomorrow evening.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Many voters say they supported Scott Morrison’s decision to close the international borders.

PAT GALLAGHER:  Shutting down a country, shutting the borders is a dramatic move. And I’m sure he would’ve taken a big breath before he would’ve gone up and made that announcement, and good on him for standing up there and letting us know exactly what he thought.

CATH SATTLER:   Obviously I’m from England, so I compare the way that it was handled here compared to how it was handled in the UK and I c- I’ve got mo- nothing but praise for shutting the borders. We’re an island and, and that’s what saved us in the, in the early stages.

SCOTT MORRISON: Good afternoon, everyone. Now is the time to dig deep.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  The Morrison government’s next move was an economic stimulus program worth more than three hundred billion dollars.

SCOTT  MORRISON:  With $130 billion of support on top of the almost $70 billion already put in and the support to financial markets, this is an extraordinary level of support in extraordinary times.

GRAHAME MORRIS:  It was, it was extraordinary, really extraordinary. You know, we’ve had generations of coalition governments saying, “Look, we go to be very careful with every dollar we spend. Um, let’s not go into debt. Let’s not have a big deficit.” And all of a sudden, because of the health crisis, that sort of thinking was quite odd. The alternate was, yes, you can be philosophically pure and half the country would be outta work. Well, that’s terrible. That would’ve been terrible. But he, he, he, he put dogma and philosophy in his back pocket, and looked at what he had to do as a prime minister.

TAREK AMYRA:  It was good policy, it was necessary. People were losing jobs and businesses were going under. And it was only through the job keeper that they could actually keep people employed. Um, and so that was super important.

STEPHEN BATTAGLIA:   I think that- that’s, he’s tried very hard there, possibly threw way too much money in there. Possibly not looked at the longer term impact of what this is gonna do for Australians in say 20 or 30 years down the track.

EVA ZHANG:   I think this is a very good measure, after all the pandemic is making life hard for everyone, especially people like us, small business owners, are really feeling the pinch. With this financial subsidy we can fare a little bit better.

ADAM WOTHERSPOON:  To be perfectly honest, I don’t really know how it could have been handled any better. I feel that the handling of the economy was actually very good.

DOCTOR: Mr Prime Minister, today you’re going to have a covid 19 pfizer vaccine, you’ve had a chance to look through the consent form, any questions or issues?

SCOTT MORRISON:   No, I’m ready to go, just like the country!

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Praise for his government’s economic response has been blunted by accusations of a bungled vaccine rollout.

SCOTT MORRISON:  But we’re already at over 650,000, I expect by next week we will be into the million, and each week the distribution and the vaccination dosage gets stronger and stronger and stronger. We’re on track for our first dose for everyone by the end of October.// And so, it’s not a race, it’s not a competition, I am not interested in you know this state or that state.  I’m interested in Australians being vaccinated safely, with appropriate care and support given to all of them.

SOUMYA GANGULY:   He did quite a good job through the COVID, to, to steer the country through COVID. But again, there was some fiascos regarding the vaccination. We started the vaccination pretty late compared to some of the other countries. But again, that thing picked up and even the community responded quite well with all the vaccination, going for all the vaccination, double vaccination, all those things.

CATH SATTLER: Um, a lot of people do criticise Scott Morrison for his, um, lack of foresight, if you like, where he didn’t buy enough Pfizer vaccine and I’m actually gonna defend him a little bit here because, you know, we, we got the AstraZeneca deal to, to manufacture it in Melbourne, nobody knew that that was gonna end up causing issues where that was actually gonna be phased out. So, to be totally fair to him, I think his plan was AstraZeneca will be the panacea for everybody and we make it here. So, you know, I think some of the criticism is a little unfair about not buying enough Pfizer vaccine. Jeez, we didn’t have a crystal ball, did we?

SEAN NICHOLLS: With most of the country double vaccinated and the economy showing signs of recovery Scott Morrison is putting economic management front and centre at the coming election.

SCOTT MORRISON: A strong economy means a stronger future, and this cannot be taken for granted.

As we approach this year’s election this means strong economic management is more important than ever.

ADAM WOTHERSPOON:    We all know that a Liberal government is about economy, so I still feel that they’re doing a good, great job when it comes to economy.

CALEB WU:   I think based on how he’s performed with the JobKeeper and all the other various incentives, I do think I have some trust in him in handling the economy side of things. Yeah.

JOANNE KELLY:  He doesn’t manage the economy, Josh does as far as I’m aware. So, I like Josh, I think he’s done a good job in the face of, you know, what he’s had to go through, but isn’t that why he has a treasure, treasurer?

TAREK AMYRA:    Hmm. Not him but his team. And so, um, I think that they have a superior offering to the alternative in terms of, uh, what Josh Frydenberg can offer.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Throughout his prime ministership Scott Morrison has been hit by a series of damaging scandals which have raised questions about his willingness to be held to account.

SOUMYA GANGULY: He does not accept any mistakes. So he just tries to go around, round, round, in order to justify what his actions were. But he, he really does not accept any mistakes.  I just own up if I have done something wrong, because we are human beings, we are to- we can make mistakes. But not from his mouth, I’ve never heard it.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  In the so-called “sports rorts” affair the Morrison government was accused of using taxpayer money to try to influence votes.

JOURNALIST: Will you resign?

BRIDGET McKENZIE:   That is absolutely ridiculous. This is a highly successful program that’s delivering real benefits on the ground.

KATHARINE MURPHY:    Well, basically, the Audit Office said that the, that the funding had been allocated on colour-coded spreadsheets and, and doled out disproportionately to marginal seats that would benefit the coalition at the election. So it was the finding basically was of a cowboy process.

SEAN NICHOLLS: Despite the audit office findings, Scott Morrison refused to sack the minister Bridget McKenzie,  or acknowledge any wrongdoing.

PAT GALLAGHER: Mr Morrison, as the leader of that minister that made that decision, I think behind closed doors, should have had that discussion, as happens in many, many workplaces from all around the country and all around the world. But then he should have taken swift action and he should have been upfront.

CALEB WU:  Well, accountability is the most important thing because you represent the people and they’ve shown their faith in you by electing you to be prime minister. So transparency and clear communication and you know, admitting your mistakes when you make them, they’re all very important.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   How accountable do you think Scott Morrison has been as prime minister?

JOANNE KELLY:   How accountable? Well, he likes to pretend he doesn’t know when, when he hasn’t got an answer to things so, or when he knows he’s done something that he shouldn’t have done, or he’s  basically not done his job properly. So, look I, he hasn’t handled some of those things very well at all, but again it’s happened in the past it’ll probably happen again.

SEAN NICHOLLS: Scott Morrison’s approach to ministerial accountability was tested again when his Attorney-General Christian Porter was accused of historical rape allegations, which he vehemently denied.

CHRISTIAN PORTER:  But I can say categorically that what has been put in various forms and allegations simply did not happen.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  The prime minister stood by him.

SCOTT MORRISON:  I spoke to the Attorney yesterday and I’m pleased that he’s taking some time to get support.  I’m looking forward to him returning to his duties once that period of leave is completed.     The police have dealt with this matter and given us their understanding of these issues and their status and, as has been the case on other occasions, that’s where the rule of law completes its process.

SOUMYA GANGULY:  The former Attorney General, I suppose, when that thing had come up, uh, for a public figure, he should have been, uh, shoved out, uh, before anything. That’s what has happened to, uh, I mean, our Premier in New South Wales. So before anything has, uh, if the allegation has come in, that person needs to move out of office.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  And there was the related, uh, issue of him, uh, funding a part of his legal fees through a blind trust?

CATH SATTLER:  Mm.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  What did you think of that?

CATH SATTLER:  Again, I thought the, the lack of transparency there was suspicious and to, to, you know, to, to make a point of actually not making that become public was, was, was just terrible, was really bad PR.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   How do you think Scott Morrison handled that issue?

CATH SATTLER:   Look, I don’t think he did. I mean, didn’t Christian Porter end up resigning on his own without actually being pushed? I mean, you, you, if you’re a strong leader, you deal with people like that with a firm hand and not wait for them to make the call themselves.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Scott Morrison has made much of being the father of two girls who often seeks the counsel of his wife, Jenny.   Yet the prime minister is accused of having a tin ear when it comes to understanding or empathising with women.

Brittany Higgins’ allegation that she was raped by a fellow Liberal party staffer in a ministerial office rocked the government.

SCOTT MORRISON:    I said yesterday in the Parliament that we had to listen to Brittany.  I have listened to Brittany.  Jenny and I spoke last night and she said to me, you have to think about this as a father first. What would you want to happen if it were our girls? Jenny has a way of clarifying things, always has.

JOANNE KELLY: Nobody liked what he said. Um, realistically he shouldn’t have to get, he shouldn’t have to ask his wife for her opinion, so that he could adopt her opinion. He should have his own opinion and it should be the same as most people, where it should, it’s just wrong, it shouldn’t be tolerated. Why should he have to ask his wife?

SEAN NICHOLLS  And what did that make you think about Scott Morrison?

JOANNE KELLY:  Well, the first thought that came into my mind is, “Who is running this country ScoMo, or Jenny?”

SEAN NICHOLLS:   What did that tell you, if anything, about Scott Morrison?

ROBINA BAMFORTH:   I think it comes back to the, this idea that he thinks ’cause he’s got a wife and two daughters, he understands women’s issues, um, which is not really the case at all.  He’s just a sort of bloke. Um, uh, I mean, I don’t think there’s anything malicious, or what, whatever about his attitude. It’s just a standard white, middle class male attitude.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Again, Morrison’s response to the thousands of protestors outside parliament only made things worse.

SCOTT MORRISON:   Thank you Mr Speaker, on indulgence.  It is good and right Mr Speaker that so many are able to gather here in this way, whether in our capital or elsewhere, and to do so peacefully to express their concerns and their very genuine and real frustrations.   Not far from here, such marches, even now, are being met with bullets – but not here in this country Mr Speaker, not here in this country.

CATH SATTLER: Statements like that, they’re just so divisive and, and will be used against him, for sure, in the, in the next, in the upcoming, um, election, for sure.

SEAN NICHOLLS: And what did that tell you?

CATH SATTLER:  I, I don’t know if it just told me that he just doesn’t think sometimes before he speaks. Uh, but it was so inappropriate, such an inappropriate thing to say. Poor judgement.

GRAHAME MORRIS: I think even he would concede every now and again, some of those difficult issues, some of the language has probably not been a hundred percent perfect. But again, look at the outcome. There is an entire new process in parliament house put in there to protect staff, and particularly, to protect women.

PAT GALLAGHER:    I think Mr Morrison should be well placed. I know he has daughters and he has a loving wife and they come across as a really good family unit. However, when it has come and things start to come to light, I saw a lot of trying to apply spin to these allegations, it just doesn’t come across well. It’s not leadership material.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Of all the criticisms of Scott Morrison, it’s the charge that he is a liar that he has found one of the hardest to shake.  It’s a line ruthlessly prosecuted by Labor to attack his character.

CHRIS BOWEN:   Well this is an extraordinary backflip.  Scott Morrison lied about electric vehicles at the last election, and now he’s lying about lying about electric vehicles.

JIM CHALMERS:    The liar from the Shire is at it again, this time on petrol and interest rates.

ANTHONY ALBANESE:  This Prime Minister has a problem with just telling the truth. And it’s a real problem for the nation.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Scott Morrison’s honesty was challenged on the international stage when French president Emmanuel Macron accused the prime minister of lying to him about cancelling a submarine contract.

JOURNALIST:  Do you think he lied to you?

PRESIDENT MACRON:   I don’t think, I know.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Morrison has rejected Macron’s claim.

KATHARINE MURPHY:  The problem for Scott Morrison was that the French President’s character assessment came at a, a stage in the political cycle where Australian voters are asking themselves that question. Does our Prime Minister tell the truth? Is he straight forward? Can he be trusted?

GRAHAME MORRIS:   I’ve known the prime minister longer than most people, and I’ve always found him very straight. So we got a French president who was facing an election who didn’t like being dumped, and his submarines being dumped. He came up with that line. Um, I don’t think anyone could actually say the Prime Minister lied anyway. You know, say some people don’t like the answers. Big deal. But it’s not a lie.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   Do you think Scott Morrison lies?

CATH SATTLER:  Yes, easily.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   Why?

CATH SATTLER:   Um, you just gotta look at the recent issue with the submarines, um, and the way that, that Mr. Macron dealt with him uh, you know, whatever side of politics you’re on, um, there’s no way that he would’ve taken the approach he did with Scott Morrison had he not lied. And I’m sure there’s, there’s, there’s countless other events, but I think that’s my concern, he lies very easily.

CALEB WU:   If the French prime minister is calling that out, then I’m sure he does. Like, I mean, given that he ma- I think he may had lied by omission in some cases, but given that some of his scandals and things like that, I think, yeah, he would definitely lie.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   And what does that make you think?

CALEB WU:  Oh, that makes it very difficult to trust him.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  The accusation arose again three days ago when a year-old text message from Barnaby Joyce was leaked branding Scott Morrison a “hypocrite” and “a liar”.

BARNABY JOYCE:   I should never have written the text that I did. My view from the backbench about the Prime Minister was based on assumption and commentary, not from a one on one working relationship.

ADAM WOTHERSPOON: People attack him about being a liar, I wouldn’t go as far as saying necessarily a liar, but I think in some cases he’s sly. So I don’t think he always tells everything a hundred percent because he’s got other motives.

PAT GALLAGHER:   Yeah, I think it comes to the definition of what lying really is and about whether that’s for personal gain or not. But it’s about integrity and if he has changed his mind in relation to a call, then that’s fine. But let us know.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Do you think Scott Morrison lies?

TAREK AMYRA:  Isn’t there an old joke that says, how do you know a politician is lying? It’s whether his lips are moving. I don’t think any politician is without sin on that one.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Are there circumstances, when lying is acceptable?

TAREK AMYRA:  No. Not in, when you’re in a position of power like that. Yeah, you need to be accountable for your words.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Climate change is consistently ranked as an important issue for many voters. It’s been a significant challenge for Scott Morrison, a strong defender of fossil fuels.

SPEAKER:   The Treasurer has the call.

SCOTT MORRISON:  This is coal, don’t be afraid, don’t be scared. It won’t hurt you. It’s coal. It was dug up by men and women who work and live in the electorates of those who sit opposite.

SEAN NICHOLLS: In recent months Scott Morrison has embraced a net zero emissions target.

SCOTT MORRISON:   Australians understand, and they support, the need to take action on climate change. So do I. So does our government.  Our plan to reach what will be our new official target, of reaching net zero emissions by 2050, our plan gets the balance right.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  What’s your opinion of Scott Morrison’s record on climate policy?

ROBINA BAMFORTH:    I have to stand perhaps with the opposition in this and say, glossy brochure. Uh, glossy brochure, fix everything. We’re, we’re not actually going to do anything of substance. We just pretend we are, and we go to Glasgow, and we put our hand up, and uh, but we don’t actually take any decisive action.

PAT GALLAGHER:   I think he tries very hard, but I don’t think he’s committal. Once again, he has made the decision to walk into parliament house with a big block of coal, slam it on the big desk there and talk about how good coal is for the country and all that sort of thing. It’s been a couple of years later, and now, after COP26 and everything going on with climate change, he’s changed his view on that, but he hasn’t told us why.

ADAM WOTHERSPOON:   I don’t believe that the prime minister is a hundred percent when he talks about climate change and things like that, because they do it because they have to, and it feels like they’re doing it in such a way that it’s like, “Okay, look, we have to do it. What’s the minimum we can get away with? Excellent, just do that.”

EVA ZHANG:    If it’s not affecting the Australian economy, I support his policy. But if the policy affected the growth of the Australian economy, then I will have reservations.

SOUMYA GANGULY:    I feel that now his, uh, main, main focus is how he can win back the next, uh, uh, election. So that is his focus and that is what he is aiming for. So for that, whatever he has to do, he’s doing.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  At the end of last year, Scott Morrison snapped into campaign mode selling Australians an optimistic slogan.

SCOTT MORRISON:   What they’re going to see is Australia open, we’re double vaxxed and people are back.  They’re in their trailers, they’re together again and it’s just showing where we are heading – looking out the front windscreen, not in the rear-view mirror.

SCOTT  MORRISON:   I think that’s really important, we’re looking through the front windscreen, not through that rear vision mirror.

SCOTT MORRISON:  We have one of the strongest economies that are coming through this pandemic, and we’re looking out that front windscreen going into 2022, looking strong going into next year.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  Expanding on his theme in a carefully crafted pre-election pitch, Scott Morrison declared it was time for government to get out of people’s lives.

SCOTT MORRISON:   Australians kept their side of the deal. And it is now time for governments to keep theirs. To step back, and let Australians step forward. To put Australians back in charge of their own lives.

NIKI SAVVA:  Part of it was playing up to Clive Palmer and One Nation and the demonstrations that were taking place at the time, thousands of people out on the streets complaining about mandatory vaccinations, complaining about masks, about lockdowns. And so he was sending a message to them I think that, yes, it is time for governments to stop telling people what to do.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   Within weeks of that speech, Scott Morrison’s vaunted COVID recovery was in disarray.   The rapid spread of the ultra-infectious Omicron strain of the virus dashed hopes of a swift return to normality.  Many voters are blaming the government.

JOANNE KELLY:    I think, in hindsight, there was a lot of errors, and I think there’s not a lot of forward planning. If they knew that this Omicron that was running rampant in other countries, and it was coming here, or already here. Um, then realistically there should’ve been some more planning put in place to deal with the, the rapid antigen tests, and a number of people that they expect to be off work, et cetera, et cetera.

STEPHEN BATTAGLIA:   I don’t think there’s been much foresight, trying to see, well what could be the next thing happening down the track. What can we possibly foresee or prepare for in future? I don’t think he’s had- done very well with that. And I think people might reflect on that. Not a person with much foresight, looking ahead.

CALEB WU:  It’s gonna have a huge impact because it’s top of everyone’s mind. I mean, it’s already ruining a lot of people’s lives. There’s a lotta doubt about the economy, about jobs, about inflation, everything. So and the things coming to a head like this, there will definitely be a huge impact on, you know, how people vote. So definitely a lot of people are going to start second guessing Scott Morrison if they didn’t already. A lot of people that were on the fence have now jumped to the negative side of the fence. So it’s not looking too good for Scott Morrison from what I can see.

ROBINA BAMFORTH:  You know, the people of Australia, if I could use that term, we- we- we’re making all the sacrifices, we’re doing the hard yards, and it’s not good enough now. Um, perhaps at the start of the pandemic people were more forgiving of Scott Morrison, uh, and the government, and state leaders as well, because we’d never gone through this before, so it was all uncharted territory. Um, and, uh, but I- I think, you know, especially in Victoria where we, and in Melbourne, where we had such a hard lockdown for such a long time, um, it’s starting to wear a bit thin.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  With the election due by late May, Scott Morrison will be selling his message of optimism and prosperity in the crucial weeks ahead.  His challenge is to persuade the electorate that he can be trusted to deliver on his promises.

SEAN NICHOLLS:   You came into this as an undecided voter, does it remain the case?

JOANNE KELLY:    Yeah. It is still the case. I generally do not make-up my final decision until probably a couple of weeks before the election. I always have a good idea of where I think I’m going to vote, but, it’s a long time in politics just a couple of weeks a lot can change.

ROBINA BAMFORTH:  I guess one of the problems is, is that we- we- we’re still a few, few months away from the election. Um, and issues of the pandemic are still clouding everything else at the moment, and we can’t see the wood for the trees, that old saying. Um, perhaps when we get a bit closer and we see a bit more hard-nosed campaigning, and we get the more issues on- on the table, we’ll be able to actually weigh up some of the policies of, um, not just Labor and Liberal, but some of the other parties that we’d like to have a look at as well.

CALEB WU:   Well, I’m still waiting to see the cards play out.  So at this stage, I’ll wait and see what other information comes up and just make sure I make a well-informed decision for the federal election.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  For some, recent events have hardened their views.

TAREK AMYRA:    We need some long-term projects, we need to bring manufacturing back into Australia. And he needs to show, lead Australia in a way that makes it better off for him being the prime minister, rather than what it is now. Because I don’t see Australia as a better place to live because of his prime ministership.

SEAN NICHOLLS: What would you tell Scott Morrison he needs to do to win your vote?

CATH SATTLER:  You know, it’s, uh,  I’m not sure if there’s enough time for him to do what, what I want him to do, because too much time has passed, uh, strong leadership, can you suddenly switch on strong leadership? I, I would love it if that, if that were to happen and he was able to unite the, the Coalition and, and do something about the environment, wake up to the environment and, and be strong.

PAT GALLAGHER:   Mr Morrison coming up to where we are today, I don’t truly know what you stand for. The advice I could give you, Mr. Morrison, is look people in the eye and say, “I’m Scott Morrison, and this is what I believe in.” And set your policies out and if you don’t win at the election, well so be it. But don’t try and do whatever it takes to bend the rules or bend your policies, just to make people like you. You’re a leader.

SEAN NICHOLLS: Next week, our voters tell us what they think about Labor leader Anthony Albanese.

ANTHONY ALBANESE:   Thank you very much and thank you for the incredible honour and privilege of being the twenty first leader of our great party.

ADAM WOTHERSPOON:  I think when I first heard that Anthony Albanese had taken over as leader, I think my first opinion was scratching my head going, “Really? Is he the best they’ve got?”

SEAN NICHOLLS: Is he prime minister material?

JOANNE KELLY:  Oh, that’s a funny one. I wouldn’t have expected him to be leader of the opposition.

TAREK AMYRA:  Hard to say. Is he leadership material? Haven’t seen that yet.

ROBINA BAMFORTH:  He’s a bit vanilla, he’s a solid bloke, he doesn’t have charisma, and perhaps I’m a person who likes charisma in our Prime Ministers. But I, I think he would do a solid job.

SEAN NICHOLLS:  How effective would you say he has been, or he is at the moment as opposition leader?

PAT GALLAGHER:  I wouldn’t say he’s been very effective at all in what I want out of an opposition leader.

SEAN NICHOLLS: What would you say Anthony Albanese stands for?

PAT GALLAGHER: Getting elected.

ABC NEWS SPECIAL REPORT:

#AceNewsDesk report ………..Published: Feb.07: 2022:

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