Australian of the Year David Morrison pulls out of National Press Club speech

Australian of the Year David Morrison has pulled out of an address at the National Press Club amid controversy.

Australian of the Year David Morrison has pulled out of a National Press Club speech. Picture: Luke Bowden

Australian of the Year David Morrison has pulled out of an address at the National Press Club in Canberra amid controversy over his management of the Jedi Council sex scandal that rocked the defence establishment in 2013.

The former army chief was scheduled to give the address on December 7 but has pulled out because of surgery early next month with his manager explaining today to anti-domestic violence group, Our Watch, that Mr Morrison “won’t be fit” to deliver the speech.

In correspondence to the National Press Club, obtained by The Australian, Our Watch apologises for the cancellation and says: “We are incredibly disappointed to cancel David’s address and I apologise for the inconvenience that this will cause.”

“David Morrison’s manager just let us know that David is having surgery in early December and won’t be fit to deliver his address on December 7.”

Catherine McGregor, who was also a finalist for the 2016 Australian of the Year and a former colleague to General Morrison, attacked the move on Twitter and said he needed to deliver the address.

“The AOTY has cancelled his address at National Press Club. Simply a disgrace. Needed to front up,” she tweeted.

The AOTY has cancelled his address at National Press Club. Simply a disgrace. Needed to front up.

— Catherine McGregor (@CateMc3273) November 29, 2016

Mr Morrison has come under fire over his handling of the so-called Jedi Council scandal in 2013 when it emerged there was a ring in defence that shared material detailing sexual exploits and demeaning images of women.

The ABC last week revealed the substance of a leaked NSW police report which suggested the office of the former army chief knew of the scandal 11 months before he went public in a famous speech in which he told soldiers to “get out” if they could not treat women as equals.

There is also a political push to remove Mr Morrison as Australian of the Year with Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie putting forward a motion — which is likely to be voted on this afternoon — calling on the government to replace Mr Morrison with a “person worthy of the title.”