ScoMo ditches ‘to do list’, preaches ‘love all’ in first speech as PM

AUSTRALIA’S 30th Prime Minister has promised to unite the country and heal the Liberal Party in his first speech that focused more on ‘love’ than a ‘to do list’.

SCOTT Morrison has promised to unite the country and “love all Australians” in a meandering first speech as Prime Minister that was more about “heart” and values than policy.

In an attempt to kick start a political reset, win back voters and heal his party two weeks after the damaging leadership coup against Malcolm Turnbull, Mr Morrison has journeyed to Albury NSW — the birthplace of the Liberal Party under Sir Robert Menzies — to give a speech about the party’s values.

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In a speech that bordered on evangelical at times, Mr Morrison also encouraged those who believed in the power of prayer to pray for rain for drought-stricken farmers.

He also noted in a few brief remarks that he had no intention of dumping the Paris Agreement on climate change, despite calls from conservative backbenchers such as Tony Abbott for the government to withdraw Australia from the commitment.

“I haven’t come to you today with a ‘to do list’ of stuff,” Mr Morrison told the audience, making it clear he intended to speak about Liberal values rather than unveiling the “Morrison manifesto” of policy.

He highlighted the “sanctity” of the individual and the things they needed, including an affordable home, adequate health care services, a stable job and good pay, freedoms of faith, religion, speech and association, as the key values Mr Menzies’s set out for the party.

He also spoke about the need to focus on national security.

Scott Morrison delivers his first speech as PM at the Menzies Research Centre at the Mirambeena Community Centre in Albury, NSW. Picture: AAP.

And, in what appeared to be a message for his own party after the infighting which resulted in last month’s spill, Mr Morrison also highlighted the need for positive politics, saying: “You can’t just be about what you’re opposed to, you’ve got to be about what you’re for.”

“As a country, as a political party, as an individual, as a family, it’s about what you’re for, not just what you’re against.”

Mr Morrison named the drought, keeping Australians safe, maintaining the “fundamental freedoms” of the individual and bringing Australians together as some of his government’s priorities at the moment.

“I don’t want to set Australians against one another. I want to bring them together,” Mr Morrison told the crowd.

“I’m bringing my party together around the values and beliefs I have outlined today — values I hold.”

He said he was open to the concerns of all Australians, young and old alike.

“That’s how you bring Australians together. You take all of their concerns seriously … and you listen to them,” he said.

In a call for harmony, he finished the speech by saying: “I love Australia. Who loves Australia? Everyone — we all love Australia. Of course we do. But do we love all Australians? That’s a different question, isn’t it.”

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has preached “love” and “heart” in his first speech as PM. Picture: AAP.

“You’ve got to love all Australians, if you love Australia, whether they’ve become an Australian by birth ten generations ago — when my ancestors came, not by choice. They rocked up in chains. … Or if you came last week. If you’ve chosen to be here in this country, that’s more special in some ways, isn’t it.”

He committed to loving all Australians and said the public could hold him accountable for the promises.

It comes after the Prime Minister copped criticism for his comments about “gender whisperers” in schools and after he failed to speak against the widely condemned practice of gay conversion therapy.

In his speech, Mr Morrison also praised both his predecessors, Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott, for their leadership as Prime Minister while noting the government had created a million new jobs since coming into office and had presided over a rebound in economic growth in almost five years in power.