Morrison denies leaking Perrottet text about Warringah candidate Deves, leaves own political future open

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has denied leaking a text message from NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet expressing support for embattled Warringah candidate Katherine Deves, suggesting it was leaked by a “close colleague”.

Morrison again defended Deves, whose views on transgender people and women’s sport have prompted days of controversy about the candidate.

Scott Morrison has denied he leaked text messages from NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet.Credit: James Brickwood

On Wednesday, The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age reported that Perrottet had told colleagues he had not leaked a text message expressing support for Deves that he had sent to Morrison over the weekend.

“The moral is don’t send text messages in a modern world,” Perrottet said.

Mr Morrison’s office on Wednesday denied it was behind the leak.

Asked about the leak on Thursday, Morrison denied he was the source.

“When I was speaking to some close colleagues in the Liberal Party on the weekend, they asked me whether Dom had been in contact, and I simply said that he had,” he said.

“I hadn’t shared any text messages or anything like that, I just said he had been in contact.”

“We didn’t and they didn’t [leak the message].”

Morrison would not say whether Deves had been stopped from speaking to the media by campaign headquarters. Deves recently missed a candidate debate in her seat and Liberal Party operatives are increasingly resigned to independent Zali Steggall retaining the seat.

Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves.

“She is campaigning, I contacted her today to encourage her. Katherine Deves is passionate about the issue of women and girls in sport,” Morrison said.

“The position she has set out on the issue is one that I think finds a lot of resonance with Australians who just want commonsense to apply in this situation.”

Morrison also faced his first question about his political future on the campaign trail on Thursday when he was asked if he would remain as Liberal leader should the Coalition lose the May 21 election.

But he would not be drawn saying: “There’s four and a half weeks to go in this election, and Australians are looking carefully, and many of them haven’t made up their mind and they will be making up their mind over the next four and a half weeks”.

“What they do know, is what they don’t know about Anthony Albanese, what they don’t know about his plan. What they don’t know about his experience on national security and on economics.

“What they do know is what they do know about our government, the Liberals and the Nationals, keeping Australians safe. Keeping our economy strong, because a strong economy means a strong future,” Morrison said.

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