Jump to content

Scott Morrison

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 144.140.22.4 (talk) at 00:53, 23 August 2018. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

For other people named Scott Morrison, see Scott Morrison (disambiguation).

The Honourable
Scott Morrison
MP
39th Treasurer of Australia
Incumbent
Assumed office
21 September 2015
Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull
Preceded byJoe Hockey
Minister for Social Services
In office
23 December 2014 – 21 September 2015
Prime MinisterTony Abbott
Malcolm Turnbull
Preceded byKevin Andrews
Succeeded byChristian Porter
Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
In office
18 September 2013 – 23 December 2014
Prime MinisterTony Abbott
Preceded byTony Burke
Succeeded byPeter Dutton
Member of the Australian Parliament
for Cook
Incumbent
Assumed office
24 November 2007
Preceded byBruce Baird
Personal details
Born
Scott John Morrison

(1968-05-13) 13 May 1968 (age 56)
Waverley, New South Wales, Australia
Political partyLiberal
Other political
affiliations		Coalition
SpouseJenny
Children2
Alma materUniversity of New South Wales (B.Sc.)
WebsiteOfficial website

Scott John Morrison (born 13 May 1968) is an Australian politician. He has been a Liberal Party member of the Australian House of Representatives representing the Division of Cook in New South Wales since the 2007 federal election. After the Liberal Party was elected to government at the 2013 federal election, Morrison was appointed the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection,[2] responsible for implementing Operation Sovereign Borders. In late 2014 he was appointed Minister for Social Services after a cabinet reshuffle.[3] He became the Treasurer of Australia in the First Turnbull Ministry.[4] During the Liberal leadership crisis, Scott Morrison ran for the position of Prime Minister against Peter Dutton.

Early life and education

Morrison was born in Waverley, Sydney, New South Wales, the younger of two sons born to Marion (née Smith) and John Morrison. His father was a policeman who served on the Waverley Municipal Council for 16 years, including for a brief period as mayor.[5] Morrison's maternal grandfather was born in New Zealand.[6]

Morrison grew up in the suburb of Bronte. He had a brief career as a child actor, appearing in several television commercials.[7] He attended Sydney Boys High School before going on to complete an honours degree in applied economic geography at the University of New South Wales.[5]

Professional career

After graduating from university, Morrison worked as national policy and research manager for the Property Council of Australia from 1989 to 1995. He then moved into tourism, serving as deputy chief executive of the Australian Tourism Task Force and then general manager of the Tourism Council of Australia; the latter was managed by Bruce Baird, who he would eventually succeed in federal parliament. In 1998, Morrison moved to New Zealand to become director of the newly created Office of Tourism and Sport. He formed a close relationship with tourism minister Murray McCully, and was involved with the creation of the long-running "100% Pure New Zealand" campaign.[7]

In April 2000, Morrison returned to Australia to become state director of the Liberal Party in New South Wales. He oversaw the party's campaigns at the 2001 federal election and 2003 state election. In 2004, Morrison left that post to become the inaugural managing director of Tourism Australia, which had been created by the Howard Government. His appointment was controversial due to its openly political nature.[5] Morrison approved and defended the contentious "So where the bloody hell are you?" advertising campaign. He was sacked in 2006, apparently due to conflict with tourism minister Fran Bailey over the government's plans to further integrate the agency into the Australian Public Service.[8]

Political career

2007 election

Morrison sought Liberal preselection for the Division of Cook, an electorate in the southern suburbs of Sydney which includes Cronulla, Caringbah, and Miranda, in the 2007 election following the retirement of Bruce Baird, who had served as the member since 1998. He lost the ballot 82 votes to 8 to Michael Towke, a telecommunications engineer and the candidate of the Liberals' right faction.[9]

However, allegations surfaced that Towke had engaged in branch stacking and had embellished his resume.[10] The state executive of the Liberal Party disendorsed Towke and held a new pre-selection ballot, which Morrison won. The allegations against Towke were subsequently proved to be false, and The Daily Telegraph was forced to pay an undisclosed amount to settle a defamation suit filed by Towke.[9]

Shadow ministry 2008-2013

In September 2008, Morrison was appointed to Malcolm Turnbull's coalition front bench as shadow minister for housing and local government.

Morrison in 2009.

On December 8, 2009, Morrison became shadow minister for immigration and citizenship, coming into the cabinet for the first time during Tony Abbott's first cabinet reshuffle shortly after winning the leadership. He served on the Shadow Cabinet Committee on Border Protection. Abbott described Morrison as "a great talent who was one of the bright new stars of the new generation of MPs."[11]

In December 2010, forty-eight asylum seekers died in the Christmas Island boat disaster.[12] On February 15, 2011, Morrison publicly questioned the decision of the Gillard Labor government to pay for the relatives of the victims to travel to funerals in Sydney. After fellow Liberal and shadow treasurer Joe Hockey disagreed with Morrison's statements, Morrison said that the timing of his comments was insensitive, but did not back away from the comments themselves.[13][14]

In February 2013, Morrison said that the police should be notified of where asylum seekers are living in the community if any antisocial behaviour has occurred, and that there should be strict guide-lines for the behaviour of those currently on bridging visas while they await the determination of their claims.[citation needed] The new code of conduct was released by the immigration minister for more than 20,000 irregular maritime arrivals living in the community on bridging visas.[citation needed]

Abbott Government 2013-2015

On September 18, 2013, Morrison launched Operation Sovereign Borders, the newly elected Coalition government strategy aimed at stopping unauthorised boats departing for Australia.[15] Cabinet documents from this time revealed in 2018 that Morrison asked for mitigation strategies to avoid granting permanent visas to 700 refugees.[16] His office reported that there were 300 boats and 20,587 arrivals in 2013 to only 1 boat and 157 arrivals for all of 2014.[17] The UNHCR expressed concerns that the practice may violate the Refugee Convention.[18] The annual refugee intake, which had recently been increased to 20,000 by the Labor Government, was reduced to 13,750.[19][20]

Morrison defended his use of the terms "illegal arrivals" and "illegal boats", saying that "I've always referred to illegal entry ... I've never claimed that it's illegal to claim asylum."[21][22]

During his time as Immigration Minister, Morrison's dealings with the media and accountability to the public were widely criticised by journalists, Labor and Greens members of the Australian Senate, and others for refusing to provide details about the matters within his portfolio. Morrison asserted that to reveal details of operations would be to play into the hands of people smugglers who used this information to plan illegal smuggling operations.[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33] On many occasions Morrison refused to answer questions about the status of asylum seekers or boats coming to and from Australia, often on the basis that he would not disclose "on water" or "operational" matters.[34][35][36][37][38]

In November 2014, the Australian Human Rights Commission delivered a report to the Government which found that Morrison failed in his responsibility to act in the best interests of children in detention during his time as Minister. The overarching finding of the inquiry was that the prolonged, mandatory detention of asylum seeker children caused them significant mental and physical illness and developmental delays, in breach of Australia's international obligations.[39] The report was criticised by Tony Abbott as being politically motivated, pointing out the timing of the report's release after the Abbott Government had taken office. The Government released the report publicly in February 2015.[40]

In early December 2014 Morrison had the Migration and Maritime Powers Legislation Amendment (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Bill 2014 successfully passed through the Australian Parliament. The bill gave Morrison more power than any previous minister in dealing with people seeking asylum in Australia, including the power to return asylum seekers to their place of origin, detain asylum seekers without charge, and refuse asylum seekers who arrive by boat access to the Refugee Review Tribunal.[41][42] The bill reintroduced temporary protection visas to deal specifically with the backlog of 30,000 people who had arrived under the previous Labor Government but who had yet to be processed. The Bill allowed those on bridging visas to apply for work, and increased the refugee intake to 18,750.[43]

The bill caused controversy in parliament because Morrison stated he could release children held in immigration detention on Christmas Island if Senate cross-benchers agreed to vote for the legislation; however, those opposed to the bill said he could have released the children at any time.[44]

In a cabinet reshuffle in late December 2014, Morrison was appointed the Minister for Social Services and ceased to be Minister for Immigration and Border Protection.[45]

In March 2015, three hundred alumni of Sydney Boys High School signed a letter protesting Morrison's attendance at an alumni fund-raising event. The protest letter expressed the opinion that the school should not celebrate a person who has "so flagrantly disregarded human rights".[46] Morrison attended this and subsequent alumni and school events.[citation needed]

Turnbull Government 2015-present

Morrison was appointed as Treasurer of the Turnbull Government in September 2015. In his first press conference as Treasurer, he indicated a reduction in government expenditure and stated that the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) and White Paper on tax reform would arrive on time.[47] In May 2016, Morrison handed down the 2016 Australian federal budget.

Morrison has stated that he has endured bigotry because he is against amending the marriage act to allow same sex couples to marry.[48]

In February 2017, Morrison addressed the Australian House of Representatives while holding a lump of coal, stating "This is coal. Don't be afraid. Don't be scared. It won't hurt you," and accusing those concerned about the environmental impact of the coal industry of having "an ideological, pathological fear of coal."[49]

In May 2017, Morrison handed down the 2017 Australian federal budget.

After the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey, Morrison proposed an amendment to the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Bill 2017 allowing parents to remove children from classes if "non-traditional" marriage is discussed.[50]

Morrison handed down the 2018 Australian federal budget on 8 May.

After handing down the budget, Morrison rejected calls to increase the rate of the Newstart Allowance, saying "my priority is to give tax relief to people who are working and paying taxes".[51]

Morrison became the Acting Minister for Home Affairs following the Liberal Party leadership spill in August 2018.[52]

Personal life

Morrison began dating Jenny Warren when they were both 16. They married when they were 21, and have two daughters together.[53] He is a fan of the Cronulla Sharks rugby league team, and in 2016 was named the club's number-one ticket holder.[7]

Morrison was raised in the Uniting Church, but later became a follower of Pentecostalism. He now attends the Shirelive Church, which is affiliated with the Australian Christian Churches and the Assemblies of God. He has said "the Bible is not a policy handbook, and I get very worried when people try to treat it like one".[5] In late 2017, Morrison stated that he would become a stronger advocate for protections for religious freedom.[54]

References

  1. ^ "Scott Morrison: bio and family life". Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ "Tony Abbott's cabinet and outer ministry". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 16 September 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2013.
  3. ^ "Dutton to immigration in reshuffle". News.com.au. 21 December 2014.
  4. ^ Katharine Murphy (1 January 1970). "Malcolm Turnbull unveils his ministry – politics live | Australia news". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d Nick Bryant (February 2012). "Scott Morrison: So Who the Bloody Hell Are You?". The Monthly. Retrieved 7 February 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Members' statements in relation to citizenship: Scott Morrison, Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 7 February 2018.
  7. ^ a b c Deborah Snow (30 April 2016). "Scott Morrison's relentless rise to power". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 February 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Robert Wainwright (25 July 2006). "So where the hell is he?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 February 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ a b Sheehan, Paul (26 October 2009). "Nasty saga you nearly missed". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  10. ^ "Liberal Party disendorses Michael Towke". PM (ABC News). 3 August 2007.
  11. ^ Maiden, Samantha (8 December 2009). "Abbott gives fresh start – news.com.au". The Australian. Retrieved 26 June 2010.
  12. ^ "Authorities: Death toll up to 48 in Christmas Island shipwreck". CNN. 20 December 2010. Retrieved 10 December 2013.
  13. ^ Coorey, Phillip; Needham, Kirsty (16 February 2011). "Hockey calls for compassion in funeral row". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  14. ^ "Lib admits timing of funeral comments 'insensitive'". The Sydney Morning Herald. AAP. 16 February 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2015.
  15. ^ Cowie, Thea (18 September 2013). "Coalition launches Operation Sovereign Borders". SBS News. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
  16. ^ "Scott Morrison tried to delay asylum seekers' visas, documents reveal". ABC News. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2018.
  17. ^ "Promise check: We will stop the boats". ABC News. 8 May 2016. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
  18. ^ Laughland, Oliver (3 July 2014). "UN: 'profound concern' at Australia's handling of Tamil asylum seekers". Guardian Australia. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
  19. ^ Borrello, Eliza (4 October 2013). "Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says no changes to border protection despite softer language from PM". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  20. ^ Janet Phillips, 'A comparison of Coalition and Labor government asylum policies in Australia since 2001', 28 February 2014, Australian Parliamentary Library Research Paper series 2013-14, 12-13.
  21. ^ "Immigration Minister Scott Morrison defends use of term 'illegal arrivals', plays down PNG police incident". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  22. ^ "Scott Morrison correct on 'illegal entry' of people without a visa". The Sydney Morning Herald. 13 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
  23. ^ "Arrogance and obfuscation a bad mix for Scott Morrison". The Herald Sun. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  24. ^ "No comment: government silent over fate of asylum seekers". The Sydney Morning Herald. 9 November 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  25. ^ "Scott Morrison refuses to answer parliamentary questions on boat arrival". The Guardian. Australia. 13 November 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  26. ^ "Morrison refuses to answer rescue questions". PM (ABC News). Australia. 8 November 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  27. ^ "Scott Morrison's secrecy would be funny if it wasn't so serious". News.com.au. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  28. ^ ""Talk To The Hand" — The Australian Government, To Everyone". The Global Mail. 20 November 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  29. ^ "Silence over boats sells public short". The Age. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  30. ^ "Secrecy over asylum seeker boat turn-backs puts navy in a bind". The Age. 25 January 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  31. ^ Kelly, Fran (6 July 2014). "Insiders Sunday 06 July" (streaming video). Insiders ABC TV. Australia. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  32. ^ "Scott Morrison interview takes on Pythonesque proportions". Canberra Times. 6 July 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  33. ^ "Senate tests secrecy on asylum". The Australian. 13 January 2014. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  34. ^ "Morrison mute on reported asylum seeker handover". SBS News. 3 July 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  35. ^ "Scott Morrison defends vow of silence on asylum seeker boat arrivals". The Guardian. 23 September 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  36. ^ "Motion passed to force Immigration Minister Scott Morrison to report asylum-seeker incidents at sea". The Age. 15 November 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  37. ^ "Minister's office won't confirm briefings". News.com.au. 27 January 2014. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  38. ^ "Laurie Oakes discusses Scott Morrison on The Drum". 7 November 2013. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013.
  39. ^ Australian Human Rights Commission, The Forgotten Children: National Inquiry into Children in Immigration Detention (2014), 13.
  40. ^ Whyte, Sarah (12 February 2015). "Human Rights Commission should congratulate Scott Morrison: Tony Abbott responds to report on children in immigration detention". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  41. ^ Doherty, Ben (5 December 2014). "Senate gives Scott Morrison unchecked control over asylum seekers' lives". The Guardian. Australia. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  42. ^ Morton, Adam (7 December 2014). "The unprecedented immigration powers awarded to Scott Morrison". The Age. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  43. ^ Yaxley, Louise; Norman, Jane (5 December 2014). "Temporary protection visas: Senate votes to bring back temporary visas after deal to get children off Christmas Island". ABC News. Australia. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  44. ^ Balogh, Stefanie; Owens, Jared (5 December 2014). "Morrison 'won't take moral lectures' after migration laws pass". The Australian. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  45. ^ McDonald, Susan (22 December 2014). "Cabinet reshuffle: Scott Morrison moves to Social Services; Sussan Ley promoted as second woman in Cabinet; David Johnston leaves". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  46. ^ Smith, Alexandra (28 March 2015). "Scott Morrison boycott at Sydney Boys High School: alumni say he is 'an embarrassment'". The Age. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
  47. ^ "Treasurer Scott Morrison says Federal Government has 'spending problem'; expenditure the same as during GFC - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
  48. ^ "'You don't know what it's like': Wong warns plebiscite would incite homophobia". ABC News. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  49. ^ "Scott Morrison brings a chunk of coal into parliament". The Guardian. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  50. ^ Gogarty, Brendan; Hilkemeijer, Anja (26 November 2017). "Conservative amendments to same-sex marriage bill would make Australia's laws the world's weakest". The Conversation. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  51. ^ "Here's Why People Who Are Unemployed Won't Get Any More Newstart Money". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  52. ^ Remeikis, Amy; Hutchens, Gareth; Murphy, Katharine; Knaus, Christopher (21 August 2018). "Dutton resigns after Turnbull survives Liberal leadership spill 48-35 – politics live". Retrieved 21 August 2018 – via www.theguardian.com.
  53. ^ Samantha Maiden (2 August 2013). "Scott Morrison talks faith, politics and creating Lara Bingle". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 February 2018. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  54. ^ Massola, James; Bagshaw, Eryk (22 December 2017). "'I'm not going to put up with it any more': Morrison vows to defend Christianity in 2018". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
Parliament of Australia
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Cook
2007–present 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded byas Minister for Immigration, Multicultural Affairs and Citizenship Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
2013–2014 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Social Services
2014–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Treasurer of Australia
2015–present 		Incumbent
Preceded by Minister for Home Affairs
2018–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Scott_Morrison&oldid=856118609"