Prime Minister Scott Morrison dramatically snubs questions over bloodied finger

One huge mystery dominated week four of Scott Morrison’s election campaign – but the PM tried to repeatedly dodge the question.

Not since Melissa Caddick’s foot washed up on the shores of Sydney’s south coast has a severed appendage captured the nation’s attention quite like Scott Morrison’s bloodied thumb.

It’s a mystery that has sent vibrations through the media pack travelling with the Prime Minister in week four of his national campaign tour. It started the way all gripping mysteries do: blood.

And after a dogged investigation launched by news.com.au’s James Weir and NCA Newswire’s Courtney Gould, the Prime Minister has been hounded by other news outlets and this morning broke his silence.

To understand such a mystery, it’s important to understand how it began.

The sun was dappling through the leaves in Parramatta Park, at a too-early time on Monday morning. The sound of prayer echoed around the grounds as the PM shook hands with former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd – two worlds colliding in front of the local Islamic community who were gathered to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

The major issue was ignored by the PM’s media team. Picture: Jason Edwards

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Still, the mystery of Scott Morrison’s severed thumb was only just beginning.

Which thumb was it? Ironically, his left.

It was the first of many questions, the number of which couldn’t be counted on two fully functioning hands, let alone a single manky one.

How did the Prime Minister injure his thumb? News Corp went straight to the source.

NCA NewsWire’s Courtney Gould demanded the Prime Minister’s office reveal the true cause of Scott’s slash. Advisers remained stoic despite repeated requests.

Rebuffed, and after yet another nursing home appearance where the bloodied thumb was noticeably rebandaged, there was only one thing left to do: go rogue.

News.com.au’s James Weir threw his body across the gutter at a beachside Adelaide promenade to question the Prime Minister in search of the truth.

It was clear by the look on Mr Morrison’s face that he was expecting the day’s biggest grilling. It was almost as if he was tipped off by crafty media advisors.

Morrison's bandaged left thumb.

This opportunity with the PM was a rarity on his election tour. In previous days, he’d been avoiding public events where he would be exposed to spontaneous punters. And usually, these appearances are not the official forum for journalists to ask questions. But the mission to seek truth never stops.

“Prime Minister! What happened to ya finger?”

The PM stopped in his tracks and turned over the open door of the BMW – almost as if he was about to re-live the long-rumoured Engadine Maccas moment. Silence.

The squawks of seagulls filled the split-second awkward moment.

“Prime Minister? Your … finger?”

But it was too late.

Mr Morrison slunk into the leathered back seat of the taxpayer-funded luxury sedan and pretended not to hear the day’s most important question.

The reaction from his press advisers? Hysteria.

Mr Morrison repeatedly dodged questions about the injury. Picture: Jason Edwards

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So, it remains unsolved. Rumours swirl that the incident will be the subject of Gary Jubelin’s next true-crime podcast series for News Corp. Until then, we can only speculate.

Is this a carry-over injury that was obtained from an overzealous strum of the ukulele during the Prime Minister’s hyped appearance on Karl Stefanovic’s 60 Minutes interview?

Has the stress of the six-week campaign finally taken its toll and led the PM to cut himself while hurriedly opening a bottle of chardonnay?

Or worse, is the sliced thumb another twist to the weekend’s curry conundrum that saw the Prime Minister get trolled on his own Facebook page by punters who thought the chicken in the curry he cooked and then photographed to post on social media was actually still raw? More importantly, did the blood from the wounded thumb add another undesirable flavour to the korma? And is this why Jenny and the girls have not been seen since?

The PM”s thumb bandage was on display at Parks Lifestyle Village in Adelaide. Picture: Jason Edwards

It’s understandable. Food poisoning is something that should not be joked about. Two journalists on the PM’s campaign bus have spoken off the record about experiencing severe food poisoning after consuming burgers at a luxury Sydney hotel – a location selected by the PM’s own team.

Was this calculated? And is this very story you’re reading right now a twisted form of payback? Only time will tell.

As we all know, the first cut is the deepest – and within that deep cut, many questions fester.

UPDATE: Due to the dogged investigations by News Corp reporters James Weir and Courtney Gould, the Prime Minister has been held to account and the answer has been unearthed. Being grilled by 2GB’s Ben Fordham this morning, the PM was forced to reveal the mystery severed finger was in fact injured over the weeked while slicing onions, as first speculated by News Corp. In the world of journalism, it’s never nice to be scooped by a rival, but battlelines are able to be put aside out of respect of one thing: truth.

Originally published as Prime Minister Scott Morrison dramatically snubs questions over bloodied finger