Scott Morrison launches bold plans for new home worth over $3.5m
Ex PM Scott Morrison has made a shock move that could leave him with millions of dollars in wealth following his retirement.
He once referred to himself as a “bulldozer” – and it is a title he is living up to in retirement.
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has knocked down his long-time home in southern Sydney and plans to replace it with a luxury double-storey “Palm Springs-style” house.
Details included in the development application lodged to Sutherland Shire council last year, now approved, showed the estimated construction value of the new house was about $1.05m. Local agents reported the finished home would probably be worth “somewhere above $3.5m”.
Demolition work on the site has already begun, with the original 1960s-era house knocked down and tractors and earth moving equipped observed on site to ready it for construction.
The project will fulfil one of Mr Morrison’s long-held retirement ambitions, with the PM telling media after leaving office in 2022 that he planned to upgrade his home.
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He retired from politics last year after vacating his seat in the House of Representatives.
The house project was described in the application as “demolition of existing dwelling and ancillary structures, retention of existing swimming pool and construction of a new dwelling”.
Mr Morrison bought the 681sqm property with an original three-bedroom house in 2009 for $920,000, records showed.
The property is now estimated to be worth about $2.25m.
Mr Morrison and wife Jenny enlisted the help of builder GJ Gardner for the upcoming project and will modify one of their designs for a five-bedroom house with 370sqm of floor space.
The house design, described as “Palm Springs”, includes a lower-level with a double-garage, kitchen with butler’s pantry, guest room, formal lounge and open plan family and family area.
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Upstairs, the floorplan designs reveals a master suite with a walk-in wardrobe and ensuite, an additional bathroom and two more bedrooms. There is also an upstairs “retreat”.
The design includes two “voids”, one above the staircase in the centre of the home and another above the open plan living area.
GJ Gardner said in a brochure describing the design that the “central voids accentuate the sense of space and grandeur that form the main living area of this impressive home”.
It is not known exactly how close to the designs Mr Morrison’s home will be.
Mr Morrison’s street has changed a lot since he bought the property nearly 16 years ago, with many of the original houses knocked down to make way for duplexes and larger houses.
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His single level home, built in 1960, is now one of the smaller houses on the street, with neighbouring homes extending to two and three levels.
An automated valuation by researcher CoreLogic estimated the value of the property is about $2.25m, although it was noted as a “medium confidence” valuation due to lower sales volumes in the area.
The estimated value is lower than the $2.7m median value of houses in Port Hacking.
Prior to lodging the development application, Mr Morrison was one of the Prime Ministers who owned a more modest home, with his opponent in the 2022 federal election Anthony Albanese buying a $4.3m clifftop house on The Central Coast last year.
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Former ALP leader and current ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd owns a Sunshine Coast home purchased for $17m in 2020. It was relisted for $20m in 2021 but did not sell.
The most valuable home held by a former Prime Minister – by some margin – is the harbour mansion of Malcolm Turnbull, which local real estate agents estimate is worth $150m.
Unlike Turnbull, Mr Morrison lived at Kirribilli House during his tenure as Prime Minister, with the family’s pool cleaner Nikki Durant staying at the Sutherland Shire home after her own was destroyed in floods.
Ms Durant told the Daily Mail after the 2022 election, while preparing the home for the Morrison’s return, that it was a “nice modest little home and I love it”.
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‘I’m sure they’ll manage, they lived here before they can live here again. Maybe Kirribilli was too big,” she said.
After leaving office, Morrison became involved in a scandal after it was revealed that he had secretly held several ministerial positions while serving as prime minister.
Originally published as Scott Morrison launches bold plans for new home worth over $3.5m