Dominic Perrottet tells David Elliott and Matt Keant to stop a public war of words or face sack
Dominic Perrottet tells two ministers to end a war of words after Matt Kean was accused by David Elliott of ‘treachery’ against Scott Morrison.
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has warned two senior ministers to stop a public war of words or face the sack, after his party deputy and Treasurer Matt Kean was accused by a cabinet colleague of “treachery” against Scott Morrison during the federal election campaign.
A week before a state budget that Mr Perrottet hopes will provide a boost for his government’s re-election next March, he was forced to confront team disunity on Monday when Mr Kean was attacked in public by NSW Transport Minister David Elliott.
The NSW Premier demanded his ministers “focus on their jobs or find themselves out of a job”.
Mr Perrottet was commenting on a statement aired on Ben Fordham’s Sydney 2GB radio show with Mr Elliott’s permission in which the latter said he was “disgusted” Mr Kean told a Ten Network journalist on the federal campaign trail in May to press the then prime minister on an embarrassing issue.
The Weekend Australian reported Mr Kean inserted himself into the political campaign against Mr Morrison 11 days before the Coalition’s election defeat by encouraging Ten’s Stela Todorovic to press Mr Morrison over his hand-picked Warringah candidate Katherine Deves backtracking on a public apology for saying transgender children were “surgically mutilated”.
In a private Twitter exchange seen by The Weekend Australian, Todorovic told Mr Kean: “We definitely pushed it along. I tried to get Natalie on it – and she seemed to be keen to chat, but Morrison ended the presser and she was forced to leave.”
At the time, Mr Morrison was standing next to Natalie Ward, the NSW Minister for Roads and Women’s Safety, and one of Mr Kean’s state Liberal colleagues.
Mr Kean responded to Todorovic, saying “you should pap her”, a apparent reference to a paparazzi photographer taking Ms Ward’s photo.
In a public statement read out on Fordham’s program on Monday, Mr Elliott accused Mr Kean, who will deliver the NSW state budget on Tuesday, of trying to undermine Mr Morrison and the Coalition’s election chances.
“Matt Kean’s behaviour is nothing short of treachery and will be repaid in kind,” Mr Elliott said.
He added, in a critical jibe at Malcolm Turnbull, who is one of Mr Kean’s allies in the Liberals’ moderates group: “I’m disgusted. It’s the sort of thing I have come to expect … from a certain former Liberal PM.”
Mr Kean sought to play down his Twitter message exchange with the Ten journalist, describing it as “light-hearted banter”.
He denied encouraging her to ask any questions.
“David Elliott’s got my phone number, I haven’t spoken to him about that,” Mr Kean said.
Mr Elliott later stood by his public attack on Mr Kean.
It is not the first time the pair has been involved in a spat.
Mr Perrottet said his expectation was that ministers stayed focused every day on the people of NSW.
“This is a distraction from what is our focus, and every single day I’m focused on making sure the people of NSW are set up for a brighter future,” Mr Perrottet said.
Sources close to Ms Ward said they felt like Mr Kean had “thrown her under the bus”.
“She had no idea he was setting her up to be asked questions by a reporter,” one source claimed.
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