Journalist: Peter van Onselen, Network 10. Prime Minister, at the start of your speech, you mentioned your close friendship with Marise Payne. I wanted to ask you about another close friend, Gladys Berejiklian, and that’s somebody that you wanted to run actually at the next election. I've been provided with a text message exchange between the former New South Wales Premier and a current Liberal Cabinet Minister. I've got them right here. In one, she described you as, quote, ‘a horrible, horrible person,’ going on to say she did not trust you and you're more concerned with politics than people. The Minister is even more scathing, describing you as a fraud and, quote, ‘a complete psycho’. Does this exchange surprise you and what do you think it tells us? [Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Address, Questions and Answers, National Press Club Canberra, ACT, 01.02.22]
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Prime Minister: Well, I don't know who you're referring to or the basis of what you’ve put to me, but I obviously don't agree with it, and I don't think that's my record. [Prime Minister Scott Morrison's Address, Questions and Answers, National Press Club Canberra, ACT, 01.02.22]
Morrison is well aware that similar assessment's of his character frequently occur on social media and from time to time in the corridors of Parliament House.
However, this is possibly the first time he has been so publicly confronted with such an assessment made by his own Liberal Party colleagues.
UPDATE
Crikey, 2 February 2022:
Van Onselen followed up with more text messages during the evening news, in which Berejiklian allegedly referred to Morrison as “obsessed with petty political point-scoring” while lives were at stake during the bushfires. According to the unnamed minister: “The mob have worked him [Morrison] out and think he’s a fraud.”…..
Later this morning, on the triumphant radio rounds, van Onselen revealed the minister in question was federal, and said the texts were from the time of the bushfires — the last time Morrison’s approval ratings were as low as they are this week.
The Conversation, 2 February 2022:
Van Onselen quoted the text comments in his Press Club question and on the Ten news.
He said Berejiklian’s comments included describing Morrison as “a horrible, horrible person” who was “just obsessed with petty political point scoring” when lives were at stake.
According to van Onselen, the other person condemned Morrison as “a complete psycho”, “desperate and jealous”, and said: “The mob have worked him out and think he’s a fraud”.
