NSW MP Catherine Cusack’s extraordinary spray against Scott Morrison

Another Liberal MP has unleashed on the Prime Minister, calling him a “self-serving bully” who is “clueless” about women in a wild tirade.

NSW Liberal MP Catherine Cusack has described the Prime Minister Scott Morrison as a “self-serving bully” who is clueless about women, has denied flood victims assistance and destroyed the Liberal Party.

In an extraordinary spray, Ms Cusack, who lives in the flood-affected northern rivers region, has told news.com.au the Prime Minister’s “petty” approach had denied families assistance and funding they desperately need.

The veteran MP quit NSW state Parliament a fortnight ago in disgust over flood assistance funding but remains an MP until the preselection for her position is resolved.

She accused the Prime Minister of abandoning flood victims out of “pettiness” and divisions with the NSW Perrottet Government.

“Scott Morrison is practised at bullying and getting his own way,’’ she told news.com.au.

“We are in the middle of a massive catastrophe here in the northern rivers. So outrageous, it’s just outrageous. It is so petty. He’s obviously not happy with the New South Wales Government.

“He’s blaming us, for him having some bad media or something. Obviously not happy with me for wanting the disaster funding extra money to be released to the other local government areas who were also flooded.”

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Outgoing NSW Liberal MP Catherine Cusack has unleashed on the PM. Picture: Richard Dobson

Ms Cusack also revealed he had not spoken to her in years, despite being the only Liberal MP who lived in the flood-affected northern rivers.

“So now in his pettiness, he’s not coming to the party in relation to those $10,000 disaster grants,’’ she said.

“Now the New South Wales Government is having a dispute about funding for flood victims. And this goes way too far. This behaviour has spilled out of the Liberal Party, and now into ethical use of public money.

“Everybody is fed up with this, by the way. You know, like I really feel that I am only speaking to the ordinary Liberal Party member.

“The only way to deal with this behaviour is to stand up to him. And that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

Scott Morrison “clueless” on women

Ms Cusack said there was a reason for Mr Morrison’s “women problem”.

“I think he’s clueless when it comes to women,’’ she said.

“Problem women. Yes. That’s why he has a problem with problem women, because we just don’t go along with him,’’ she said.

“I mean, we have our own opinions. And we ask questions and disagree. And he appears to think that’s completely unacceptable. And he pushes back on us, but we don’t have to take it anymore.”

Ms Cusack said she had no doubt what the issue was.

“People keep asking, why is he having these problems with women. I will tell you why,’’ she said.

“For women in politics, success is ‘did I help someone?’. Whereas for the men, the research is clear on this, it’s more ‘where am I on the career ladder?’.

“So the factional model Scott Morrison operates, women are much less susceptible to the bullying and tactics he uses. It’s quite obvious to me why his model of power isn’t working for women.”

Catherine Cusack said she had no doubt what was behind Scott Morrison’s “women problem”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Geraghty.

She also took aim at Mr Morrison wooing a state MP, Melanie Gibbons, for a federal seat and then “stabbing her in the back”.

“He rings up Mel Gibbons and asks her to stand for Hughes and then he stabs her in the back by getting preselection overturned and by endorsing somebody else, I mean, he’s just he doesn’t care,” she said.

PM has ‘destroyed Liberal Party’

Ms Cusack said that Mr Morrison, from his time as the state director of the Liberal Party in NSW 20 years ago to his ascension to Prime Minister had destroyed the party.

“I am so upset that the party I’ve invested my life in has been ruined in this way,’’ she said.

“I have no idea now how it can even be fixed. But I’m sure that the electorate will do something about it.”

She said Liberals under Mr Morrison have become “compliant tools”.

“I’m going all the way back to the days when (former NSW Liberal leader) John Brogdon was torn down, where people then have the numbers anymore for the preselection, and so they became compliant tools,” she said.

“It’s all about power and control, obviously. And it then led to what we have now which is a very highly developed factional system, whereby everything has to be done by the Faceless Men agreements.”

NSW preselection mess

Ms Cusack said the protracted mess over Liberal preselections was Mr Morrison’s fault.

“I mean, it’s just unbelievable to think that he has managed to either change the entire political process of the party and put us all through this embarrassment for a year, so he can get his own way,’’ she said.

“People keep saying factional infighting has prevented the preselections. No, that’s not what stopped them. They’ve been trying to set timetables, we’d have candidates waiting since to start that process and go through the timetable.

“And they have found loopholes in the Constitution to block that from occurring. So that Scott Morrison can get his own way. He’s very, very good at this.”

While Ms Cusack said she was no factional ally of Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells, who also accused Mr Morrison of being a bully, she agreed with her.

Exiting Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells let rip on the Prime Minister in the Senate last week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“I mean when Connie says the party has been ruined she’s absolutely correct. It’s totally altered the character and the operation of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party,’’ she said.

“I am not saying Scott is the only person who did that. Obviously, more than one person’s poor behaviour has escalated to the point that we’re at, but he’s definitely enabled the whole thing during that time as he was state director.

“We have a massive fight over the Cook preselection (in 2007) and somehow Scott Morrison emerges from that as the member for Cook.

“Then we have a massive fight over who’s going to be Prime Minister. And somehow Turnbull is torn down and Scott Morrison emerges as Prime Minister of Australia.

Ms Cusack said that Mr Morrison had never spoken to her, despite being the only NSW Liberal Upper House MP who lives in the flood-affected regions.

“I haven’t spoken to him for years. He doesn’t talk to people like me. We’re not important,’’ she said.

“Because I’m not in his faction.

“I’m the only Liberal Party member in the Northern Rivers region. I’m the only Liberal Party member north of the Central Coast. He doesn’t speak to anybody because he’s the Prime Minister. He’s the important person.

“This is ‘his’ money. And he just leverages it.”