Key Points
- Scott Morrison has announced he will quit parliament and political life in late February.
- The former prime minister says he's looking forward to new challenges in the corporate sector.
- Morrison's term as prime minister, and the period shortly thereafter, was plagued with controversy.
Former prime minister Scott Morrison has announced he will quit parliament at the end of February.
Morrison made the announcement on Tuesday, saying after more than 16 years as the MP for the southern Sydney seat of Cook he would take on "new challenges in the global corporate sector and spend more time with my family".
Morrison said his new role would involve "a series of global strategic advisory roles and private boards, focussed on the US and Indo-Pacific".
He said his family had "sacrificed a great deal" to support his political career.
"I am grateful for their support, but the time has come for me to return to private life and support my family to pursue their goals and for us to spend more time together as a family," he said.
"I am also looking forward to being more active in my Church community, outside the constraints of public office."
Morrison thanked his family, friends, local community and party members for their support.
"It has been a great honour to serve as the Member for Cook and as Prime Minister," he said.
"I also thank my staff and parliamentary colleagues over the years for their friendship and support, especially my Deputy Leader Josh Frydenberg and Deputy PMs Michael McCormack and Barnaby Joyce.
"I also want to wish Peter Dutton and his team all the very best and congratulate him on the great job he has done leading our Party and the Coalition since the last election."
Morrison said that giving notice of his intention to leave parliament at the end of February would give the Liberal Party "ample time to select a great new candidate who I know will do what’s best for our community and bring fresh energy and commitment to the job".
His resignation will trigger a by-election in his electorate, which has been held by the Liberals for all but three years since it was created in 1969.
Scott Morrison's legacy
Morrison served as Australia's 30th prime minister from 2018 until May 2022, when his Liberal government lost the federal election, and later moved to the backbench.
Morrison's term as prime minister, and the period shortly thereafter, was plagued with controversy.
He drew criticism from the public during the 2019 Black Summer bushfires, when he flew to Hawaii on a holiday as large swathes of the nation burned.
He will also be remembered as the prime minister who led the country through the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Morrison's 2022 election campaign will also be recalled for its unusual moments.
During the Tasmanian leg of his journey, he famously tackled a child during a soccer match and on a night off, he posted a photo of his Sunday dinner which appeared to show raw chicken tucked within a brinjal curry.
In August 2022, it was revealed he had appointed himself minister of health, home affairs, treasury, industry and finance at various times during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Before his run as prime minister, Morrison was appointed immigration minister and he and Tony Abbott launched Operation Sovereign Borders, better known as the 'Stop the Boats' policy.
In 2015, he also served as the social services minister and helped establish the Robodebt scheme, which issued hundreds of thousands of incorrect debt notices to low-income Australians.
Under then prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, Morrison was appointed treasurer before taking the top job after a 2018 leadership spill.
- With AAP
