Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been forced to defend himself this week after allegedly being described as a “complete psycho” and “fraud” in a leaked text message exchange that has been reported to have occurred between former New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian and a current Liberal minister.
The messages between the minister and Ms Berejiklian were reported by Network 10, and allegedly labelled the prime minister a "horrible, horrible person" who was "actively spreading lies".
Mr Morrison was also accused of being “more concerned with politics than people” in the text messages, which date back to the bushfire crisis in late 2019.
Peter van Onselen, the political editor of Network 10, told ABC radio he would not reveal the minister’s identity as they had been the one that sent him the messages.
But he did say that the texts had been given to him by a current federal Liberal cabinet minister.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Source: AAP
Why leak the messages?
Van Onselen said the minister had sent him screenshots of the text messages “out of frustration”.
He said although the texts were dated, they still represented the views of the minister involved.
'There was a frustration and an anger about aspects of Scott Morrison's performance,' he told ABC radio on Wednesday.
Journalist Peter van Onselen asks a question of the Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the National Press Club on 1 February, 2022 Source: Getty Images
How did Ms Berejiklian respond?
In a statement, Ms Berejiklian said she had “no recollection” of the alleged messages.
The former premier also reiterated her support for Mr Morrison, adding, “I also strongly believe he is the best person to lead our nation for years to come”.
Who was responsible for the leak?
Since van Onselen read out the text to Mr Morrison at the National Press Club on Tuesday, Liberal ministers have rushed to deny they were responsible for leaking the messages.
Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce called on the minister responsible to “out themselves ... and give an explanation”.
“Maybe it was a bad day in the office, I don’t know. [There's] a better way to do it,” he told reporters during a press conference in Tamworth this week.
Health and Aged Care Minister Greg Hunt told ABC radio on Thursday morning he didn’t believe any federal cabinet minister was involved in the reported text exchange.
Mr Morrison also said that he does not believe the texts came from his inner circle of cabinet ministers.
Who's denied sending the messages?
Fingers have been pointed at both federal and state Liberal ministers since the texts were revealed.
Foreign Affairs and Women Minister Marise Payne and Environment Minister Sussan Ley both issued statements on Wednesday afternoon denying they were involved.
Ms Payne said the claims had "nothing to do with me", adding it was "ludicrous to suggest otherwise".
"I have never had such an exchange with the former premier, nor have I ever used such language, and nor did I leak messages, if indeed they are genuine," she said.
Ms Ley said she first became aware of the alleged texts when they were read out by van Onselen.
Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne. Source: AAP
"Any suggestion otherwise is insulting and completely untrue," she said.
"I have known the prime minister for 20 years and such a characterisation of his behaviour and attitudes is entirely alien to my understanding of the politician and the person."
NSW Treasurer and Energy Minister Matt Kean, who has previously criticised the prime minister for not “stepping up” to help the state’s small businesses affected by the Omicron outbreak, also insisted he was not the source of the leak.
Federal ministers Karen Andrews, Paul Fletcher and Angus Taylor have also denied sending the messages.
What has the PM said?
When the texts were read out to Mr Morrison, he replied: "I obviously don't agree with it. And I don't think that's my record".
Since then, he's said that he's too busy to hunt for the source of the leak.
“I’ll leave others to carry on about that,” Mr Morrison told Channel Nine’s Today program on Wednesday morning.
“There are too many other important things for me to worry about who’s gossiping about me.”
But the prime minister did deliver a barb to the reporter who uncovered the exchange.
“There was no context to it or any real details behind it. It was clearly done for sensationalist purposes,” Mr Morrison said.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra, Tuesday, October 26, 2021. Source: AAP
“The journalist who raised it is facing his own questions.”
Mr Morrison appeared to be referring to a federal court case involving van Onselen and Network 10 following a complaint by a former journalist at the broadcaster.
Tegan George, a former Network 10 political journalist, has accused van Onselen of undermining and humiliating her, including allegedly providing background to other journalists against her.
Van Onselen has denied the claims but said he could not provide further details as the matter is before the courts.
“I’m looking forward to Channel 10 defending [the claim], which they are doing but I just can’t speak publicly about it, unfortunately,” he told ABC radio earlier this week.
What does this all mean for Scott Morrison?
The text message saga was part of a bad week for Mr Morrison, with some speculating that his leadership is in jeopardy.
In this year's first Newspoll, support for the Liberal-Nationals dropped two points to 34 per cent, which is the lowest since the 2018 leadership spill, while Labor’s primary vote rose three points to 41 per cent
Labor has a winning margin of 56-44 on a two-party-preferred basis, according to Newspoll.
The Coalition government has changed its leader at the last three elections, sparking speculation as to what is happening behind closed doors in Canberra as an election looms near.
Labor's shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said the government was “disintegrating”.
“We're talking about a cabinet minister wanting the world to know the prime minister is a psycho,” he told ABC radio.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull also weighed in, saying he believes the government is in “plenty of trouble”.
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull. Source: AAP
“Clearly, whoever authorised [Network 10 journalist] Mr [Peter] van Onselen to release that did not have Scott Morrison's best interests at heart.”
But Mr Joyce said Mr Turnbull’s comments should be disregarded as he has a “personal grudge” against the prime minister.
Mr Turnbull wrote in his autobiography that he was convinced Mr Morrison backstabbed him during his leadership challenge in 2018 by “professing public loyalty to me while at the same time allowing his supporters to undermine me”.
Defence Minister Peter Dutton has also defended the prime minister.
Mr Dutton said people say things that are exaggerated and heated in the moment, and the messages didn't represent Mr Morrison's character.
"[Putting] the petty discussions to one side, most Australians see they've got a prime minister who is human like the rest of us, doesn't get everything right, but dedicates himself each day to get us through the realities of COVID," he told the ABC.
With AAP
