‘Doesn’t make sense’: Scott Morrison’s press conference baffles Project hosts

The panel on Wednesday night’s edition of The Project was utterly baffled by former PM Scott Morrison’s press conference earlier in the day.

The panel on Wednesday night’s edition of The Project was utterly baffled by former prime minister Scott Morrison’s press conference earlier in the day.

Speaking to reporters in Sydney, Mr Morrison addressed the controversy surrounding his secret appointments to five ministerial roles during his time in the top job.

But as far as the Channel 10 program’s hosts were concerned, his appearance spawned more questions than answers.

“Did he need to do that? Were you surprised he did that?” Carrie Bickmore asked, turning to her co-host Waleed Aly.

“I feel like he probably did, just because it seemed to be getting bigger and bigger and bigger,” Aly responded.

“There needed to be a circuit breaker, and I imagine, in his mind, that is what this was going to be. It’s turned out it wasn’t.

“I think in the end, the problem is, whatever story he wants to tell about this, it just ... it doesn’t add up.”

“Mmm, that’s the issue. No one, I think, left that with more clarity,” fellow co-host Rachel Corbett chimed in.

“And there’s a lot of contradictions, you know? The fact that he’s saying there’s situations where I would need the authority to exercise emergency powers in extreme situations that would be unforeseen – how is the offshore drilling situation an extreme situation that would be unforeseen?

“It just sort of all doesn’t match up. And then the fact that he didn’t use those powers ... I mean, why do it in the first place? It just doesn’t make sense.”

Corbett said Mr Morrison’s explanation didn’t make sense. Picture: Channel 10

As news.com.au first reported on Sunday, Mr Morrison used his power as a second resources minister to roll the existing minister, Keith Pitt, over a plan to drill for gas off the New South Wales coast.

Worried about the political threat of teal independents in coastal NSW seats, the then-prime minister took the first steps towards killing the controversial project in December of 2021.

“It’s interesting, because the Governor-General has copped a bit of flak for his role in all of this,” Bickmore said, proceeding to read from General David Hurley’s statement, in which he said he had “no reason” to believe Mr Morrison was not telling his ministerial colleagues about the secret appointments.

“It is not the responsibility of the Governor-General to advise the broader ministry or parliament (or public) of administrative changes of this nature. The Governor-General had no reason to believe that appointments would not be communicated,” that statement read.

“So even the Governor-General thought (the public) would be told,” Bickmore noted.

“But that could just be an assumption, that’s just the way it normally works,” Aly said.

“Yes, exactly!” said Bickmore.

“Yes I know, that’s why we’re in a weird situation,” said Aly.

“And you can’t turn around and say, ‘I didn’t tell you guys because it’s a little below your – I’m up here and you’re down there, it’s above your pay grade and your understanding,’” said Corbett.

She was alluding to several comments from Mr Morrison’s press conference, in which he suggested others did not understand the reasons for his secret ministerial appointments because they were not the prime minister.

“You’re standing on the shore after the fact. I was steering the ship in the middle of the tempest. So I appreciate your perspective is different to mine and I think that may explain some of the differences in our vantage point and understanding of these issues,” he told one journalist, for example.

“Did you notice how he kept saying ‘we’ today? He kept saying ‘we’. No, it’s just you,” Bickmore noted to round off the segment.

Bicmore ended the segment with a quip at Mr Morrison. Picture: Channel 10

‘Why did you deceive the public?’

After delivering an initial statement in Sydney, Mr Morrison faced a grilling from journalists, who sought to understand why he had kept his appointments secret.

“Why did you deceive the Australian public and treasurer and finance minister about this?” one reporter asked him.

“I don’t share that view,” Mr Morrison responded.

He continued to say he did not think it necessary to announce he had given himself additional powers unless he was going to use them, which he only did in one instance.

“You’ve met world, G20 leaders, you’ve shook hands with them. You understand it’s a slippery slope when you use the term emergency power. Can you specify…” one journalist said, before he was abruptly cut off by the former prime minister.

“Not in this country. Sorry, not in this country,” a frustrated Mr Morrison interjected, before the journalist snapped back: “Just answer the question.”

“The Australian public (want to know) these emergency powers, when would they have been invoked, given the situation,” the journalist continued.

“Can you specify — not just a vague term in the pandemic. It’s the secrecy that we’re upset about.”

Scott Morrison speaking in Sydney. Picture: Steven Saphore/AFP

In another testy exchange with Sky News political editor Andrew Clennell, Mr Morrison said he would not be “bullied” into revealing his discussions with Gen Hurley concerning the ministerial appointments.

“Conversations between us and are private conversations,’’ he said.

Clennell then interjected: “Mr Morrison, we have a right to know whether he said to you ‘Shouldn’t we make this public?’”

“You’re asking me to go into conversations between me and the Governor-General, which I am not going to do,” Mr Morrison said.

“So we assume you did,’’ Clennell replied.

“No, you can’t assume anything, Andrew. I am not going to be verballed Andrew, or bullied in this press conference by you trying to put words in my mouth,” Mr Morrison said.

“I didn’t disclose it to them because I didn’t think it was for the best operation of the government during a crisis for which I am responsible. I appreciate Andrew, you mightn’t understand it because you haven’t been a prime minister in the middle of the worst crisis since the second world war.”

Originally published as ‘Doesn’t make sense’: Scott Morrison’s press conference baffles Project hosts