Scott Morrison ‘won’t go into’ whether he told Dom Perrottet to ‘eff off’

Scott Morrison was forced to dodge an awkward question about the man most likely to become NSW Premier during an interview with Kyle and Jackie O.

The Prime Minister has dodged a question about whether he ever told the man most likely to take over as NSW Premier to “eff off or something”.

In a morning where Scott Morrison took aim at the NSW anti-corruption watchdog in the wake of Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation, ruling out any similar models on a federal level, he also praised his relationship with Dom Perrottet.

Ms Berejiklian resigned last week, after the state’s Independent Commission Against Corruption launched an investigation into whether she breached public trust when she awarded grants to some community groups between 2012 and 2018, while she was in a secret relationship with former MP Daryl Maguire.

Mr Perrottet, the NSW Treasurer, is expected to be voted in as the new Liberal Party leader and Premier at a party room meeting on Tuesday.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian resigned on Friday after the NSW ICAC announced she was under investigation. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Speaking to Kyle and Jackie O on Tuesday morning, Mr Morrison was asked about Mr Perrottet.

“When I was the Treasurer, Dom was the Treasurer, and he and I have worked together for a long time,” he said.

Kyle Sandilands asked whether the two got on, saying he had heard Mr Morrison had told Mr Perrottet to “eff off or something”.

“Oh you know, in any relationship, from time to time where you work together,” Mr Morrison said before he was cut off.

“What caused the eff off?” he was asked.

“I’m not going to go into that. We were talking through some issues to do with support, and we’ve been working a lot on them,” Mr Morrison said.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he had a ‘good working relationship’ with Dom Perrottet. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

The federal government has committed to establishing an anti-corruption watchdog of its own. However Mr Morrison said the processes would take a different approach while appearing on breakfast television.

Mr Morrison said the “guilty until proven innocent” model was not something that would “ever” be considered at a federal level.

“You have got to have processes that assume people are innocent before they are thought to be guilty,” Mr Morrison told Sunrise on Tuesday.

“That is a real problem. It is not a model we have ever contemplated going at a federal level.

“We have a set of arrangements at a federal level that can be built upon, but certainly we’re not going down that path.

“I’m sure there are millions of people who have seen what has happened to Gladys and understand that it’s a pretty good call not to follow that model.”

Flowers and signage are left at the front of the office of former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian after her resignation. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

Mr Morrison is the latest federal politician to criticise the ICAC, after Labor MP Joel Fitzgibbon on Monday labelled it a “kangaroo court” and a “failed experiment”.

“I am a great supporter of the principle innocent until proven guilty and with ICAC, for many years, just the opposite has been true,” Mr Fitzgibbon said on Monday.

“Once you have a referral of any sort to ICAC, you’re guilty until proven innocent, and three Liberal premiers will testify to that.

“None of them ever had any adverse findings against them in the eyes of the law, but were certainly hung out to dry by what I think is effectively a kangaroo court.”

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce on Monday likened ICAC to the Spanish Inquisition.

Mr Morrison has committed to an independent anti-corruption agency, but said it would not take the guilty before innocence presumption of NSW CAC. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

But, a federal anti-corruption commission is shaping up to be a hot topic ahead of the next federal election, given it has been more than 1000 days since the government first committed to establishing an independent body.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese on Friday said Australians “need to have confidence” in the integrity of the political system.

“We need a national anti-corruption commission. One with teeth,” Mr Albanese said.

“One that operates independently of government, and is able to conduct its own inquiries.

“And, if you won’t give the Australian people one, a federal Labor government will do just that.”