Election 2022: Scott Morrison defended by Bruce Baird over racism and bully claims

Former Cook MP Bruce Baird has defended Scott Morrison against allegations he racially vilified a contender in a preselection battle, saying he had ‘never heard’ him use racist terms.

Scott Morrison tours the William Adams CAT equipment hiring centre in Melbourne on Monday. Picture: AFP

Former Cook MP Bruce Baird has defended Scott Morrison against allegations he racially vilified a contender in a preselection battle, saying he had “never heard” him use racist terms.

Mr Baird questioned the political motivations of the people making the claims after allegations that the Prime Minister told Liberal Party members in 2007 not to vote for Michael Towke in a preselection vote because of his Lebanese background.

Mr Baird, the Prime Minister’s friend and predecessor in the south Sydney seat of Cook, said he had worked closely with him on the Tourism Council where he had observed his character and how he had become close with the Lebanese community.

He said that Mr Towke had reignited historical allegations because he was still bitter over being “ceremoniously dumped” as the preselection candidate for Cook after an investigation found he had engaged in branch stacking in the seat.

“I’m sure that people who are opponents of Scott and of the Liberal Party would raise it for their own reasons, and Mr Towke was feeling concerned because he’d lost the preselection … but in terms of all my dealings – and I was around him all the time talking to candidates and people – never once did I hear that allegation,” Mr Baird told the ABC.

“I think people making the claims you’ve got to question their credibility.”

Mr Baird acknowledged that he was a close friend of Mr Morrison, but said he felt motivated to comment impartially.

“I am just doing this because it’s the truth … to claim Scott is racist and a bully is wrong,” he said.

Mr Towke stepped up his ­attacks on the Prime Minister on Monday and called him a “liar” in his first TV appearance since ­accusing Mr Morrison of being a “racist”.

Mr Towke said that Mr Morrison’s denials of his allegations were proof of him being “a liar”.

“Just ask Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull, Emannuel Macron – there’s a few people – and Barnaby Joyce has called him out as a compulsive liar,” Mr Towke told Network 10.

Mr Towke, who beat Mr Morrison in a ballot to contest Cook in 2007, alleged that Mr Morrison used claims about his Lebanese heritage to undermine him.

“(Scott Morrison) certainly used race in the past on several ­occasions,” he said.

When asked whether Mr Morrison was fit to be prime minister, Mr Towke said “no”.

Deputy Prime Minister Mr Joyce has also defended Mr Morrison against the claims, saying there were a “political hit-job” on the eve of the election and suggested those making the allegations were using racism as a “weapon”.

“When you get these accusations right on the eve of an election they can (be) wrapped up as a political hit,” Mr Joyce told the Seven Network. “I think it’s a concern because … if you’re going to call someone a racist and they’re not, your using racism as your weapon.”

The 15-year-old controversy was revived by incendiary claims from outgoing veteran senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells in a speech to the Senate on budget night last week.

During the speech, the Liberal senator also claimed Mr Morrison was “an autocrat and a bully”, “ruthless” who was “not fit to be prime minister”.

The speech occurred just days after Senator Fierravanti-Wells was relegated to an unwinnable spot on the Senate ticket, effectively ending her 17-year political career.

Mr Morrison has categorically denied the allegations, calling them “malicious slurs” which were “outrageous”.