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Scott Morrison and Waleed go head to head in fiery interview on The Project

A clearly frustrated PM has gone face to face with Waleed Aly on The Project. There’s one issue he wouldn’t give a straight answer on.

Gavin Fernando
5 min read
March 22, 2019 - 9:35AM
Scott Morrison and Waleed Aly face off on The Project

The question of whether the Liberal Party would provide preferences to One Nation provided the most fireworks in a testy exchange between Scott Morrison and Waleed Aly on The Project last night.

The Prime Minister submitted to the 30-minute, add-free interview after a war of words between him and the Channel 10 current affairs show in the wake of the Christchurch massacre.

On last night’s show, Aly argued it would be a “strong act of leadership” for the Coalition to preference One Nation last on its how-to-vote cards at the May election, given Pauline Hanson once called Islam “a disease” we have to “vaccinate ourselves against”.

But Mr Morrison refused to give a straight answer about whether he would preference One Nation last.

“We’re not going to do any preference deals with One Nation,” Mr Morrison said.

“Not a deal. Will you on your how-to-vote cards be putting one Nation last?” Aly asked.

“Well those matters are determined by the party when we know what the nominations are.”

Scott Morrison tried to underline that he had a history of working with Australia's Muslim community.
Scott Morrison tried to underline that he had a history of working with Australia's Muslim community.

When Aly pushed Mr Morrison on the matter — often interrupting him — the Prime Minister became visibly frustrated and scoffed.

“Waleed, would you please let me answer one question?” Mr Morrison pleaded.

Aly continued: “Do you think, particularly in the circumstances that we face right now, that the Liberal Party and the National Party, where relevant, should be preferencing One Nation below Labor and The Greens?”

Mr Morrison said he respected the party process and would “make that decision at the time of the nominations closing”.

Aly noted One Nation leader Pauline Hanson once said Islam was a disease that needs to be vaccinated. But Scott Morrison would not confirm that he would preference them below Labor or the Greens.
Aly noted One Nation leader Pauline Hanson once said Islam was a disease that needs to be vaccinated. But Scott Morrison would not confirm that he would preference them below Labor or the Greens.

ON ISLAMOPHOBIA IN THE LIBERAL PARTY

One of the other notable moments in the interview was when Aly delivered this question: “Does the Liberal Party have a problem with Islamophobia?”

Mr Morrison denied his party had a poor track record with engaging Australian Muslims and rejected claims that he urged his party to capitalise on Islamophobia in 2011.

Aly hit Mr Morrison with a string of questionable actions by his own party members towards Muslims, naming Tony Abbott, George Christensen and Peter Dutton as among those who had previously made Islamophobic comments and endorsed far-right rallies and commentators.

But Mr Morrison denied the Liberal Party had a problem with Muslims. “I don’t know if Australians understand Islam very well … and that can often lead to a fear of things you don’t understand,” the Prime Minister said.

“In politics I think it’s important that we have disagreements but I wish we could disagree better.”

Scott Morrison and Waleed Aly squared off on The Project tonight.
Scott Morrison and Waleed Aly squared off on The Project tonight.

Asked again whether the Liberals had a problem with Islamophobia, he said the party was “made up of a lot of individuals … and they have a lot of opinions”.

Mr Morrison, in turn, accused Aly of implying that “Muslims couldn’t feel safe because they had a Prime Minister who had somehow been prejudiced against them” during his emotional monologue on the night of the Christchurch shootings.

“That’s not the implication I was making,” Aly responded.

ON CLAIMS MORRISON WANTED TO ‘CAPITALISE’ ON ISLAMOPHOBIA

The conversation then turned to a Sydney Morning Herald report from 2011 quoting unnamed sources to the effect that Mr Morrison “urged the shadow cabinet to capitalise on the electorate’s growing concerns about ‘Muslim immigration’, ‘Muslims in Australia’ and the ‘inability’ of Muslim migrants to integrate”.

“You called it a smear and a lie,” Aly said. “Who’s lying?”

Mr Morrison responded: “I can only say anyone who may have told the journalist the smear in that way. There were a number of people in that meeting who have gone on the record to support that that didn’t happen.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison challenged Waleed Aly at multiple points in the 30-minute interview.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison challenged Waleed Aly at multiple points in the 30-minute interview.

Mr Morrison said he did discuss Muslim immigration in that shadow cabinet meeting, but denied it was in the context of capitalising on community fears. “I was acknowledging that there were those fears in the community and we had to address them — not exploit them,” he said.

“What I’m saying is that I was concerned about those fears in the community and that it has always been my practice outside the parliament and inside the parliament to address those.

“The report is so at odds with my experience and actions and I think that speaks for itself.”

ON RHETORIC AROUND ASYLUM SEEKERS

Aly also asked Mr Morrison whether he thinks it’s a “problem” to talk about asylum seekers through the “prism of them possibly being rapists, murderers and paedophiles”.

“That’s only relevant if it’s in cases we’re talking about — that it’s what is known about the actual individual,” replied Mr Morrison. “We’re not going to sugar-coat to the public the implications of laws passing parliament.”

Aly hit back saying he was asking whether the Prime Minister believes it’s acceptable to “front foot that description” when there are “so few of them in that category”.

Mr Morrison addressed the medivac bill in response, saying, “You’ve got to be honest with people … if a bill that was put forward and supported by the Labor Party was going to create risks for managing the transfer of people in the community, I’m not going to say those risks don’t exist. There are real risks. There are very real risks.”

Waleed Aly on last night’s program.
Waleed Aly on last night’s program.

However, when repeatedly asked by Aly to clarify how many murderers, rapists and paedophiles were known among that group, Mr Morrison couldn’t give specific numbers.

“I know there’s a number, I don’t have that number,” Mr Morrison said, although he did claim there were “close to 60” with “serious character concerns”.

He instead accused Aly of “sugar-coating” the issue. “You’re saying there was no risk. There was risk.”

At the end of the interview, Mr Morrison said Australia was “the best immigration nation of any country on earth” and that he “wants it to stay that way”, regardless of anyone’s “race, ethnicity or religion”.

PM SLAMMED FOR ‘AGGRESSIVE’ BEHAVIOUR

Many on social media did not take kindly to the Prime Minister’s conduct during the interview, saying he had an “aggressive” attitude and came off as a “bully” through his body language.

Aside from his body language, his refusal to commit to preferencing One Nation last that sparked a strong response on Twitter.

However, Mr Morrison did win some praise for agreeing to appear on the show in the first place.

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/current-affairs/scott-morrison-and-waleed-go-head-to-head-in-fiery-interview-on-the-project/news-story/7f93adad445bee847986c0d7dc1661fd