‘I won’t be back’: Mathias Cormann leaves politics

Outgoing Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says he feels comfortable leaving politics knowing the Liberal Party is united.

Senator Mathias Cormann. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Outgoing Finance Minister Mathias Cormann says he feels comfortable leaving politics knowing the Liberal Party is more united now than at any time in his 13-year career.

The West Australian senator, who will leave politics at the end of the month, issued his optimism for the political prospects of the Morrison government in his valedictory speech to the Senate on Friday.

“As I am leaving this place, I am feeling comfortable in the knowledge that Scott Morrison is leading a strong and united and cohesive team,” Senator Cormann told the Senate.

“The strongest and most united and most cohesive team that I have been a part of since I have been in this parliament, on our side of politics.

“Scott and I, we are very close friends. We have worked together exceptionally well. So don’t believe all of the stuff that you read in the media. We are very good friends. And yes, we engage in debates on policy. And we don’t always agree.

“It is true that Scott and I on occasions have had robust discussions on policy. But we have always been close and trusted friends in this endeavour as we seek to achieve the best outcomes for our nation.”

Senator Cormann also used the speech to declare he and Peter Dutton “worked very hard” to make Malcolm Turnbull’s prime ministership a success.

Senator Cormann controversially pulled his support from Mr Turnbull’s leadership in August 2018 in favour of Mr Dutton.

The move by the West Australian conservative heavyweight was a critical factor in the downfall of Mr Turnbull, with the former prime minister believing he was betrayed by Senator Cormann.

“I had a very good working and personal relationship (with Mr Turnbull),” Senator Cormann said.

“Much has been written but the Prime Minister would agree, my friend Peter Dutton would agree, that during the period of his leadership we have all worked very hard to help make him the most successful prime minister he could possibly be.

“And a lot of good things were achieved during that period.”

Senator Cormann migrated from Belgium to Perth in 1996, aged 25. He told the Senate his foray into politics was simply because he could not get a job in the private sector.

“When I came here in 1996 I never thought I would end up in politics. You can’t plan this. I thought I would go and work for a law firm, business or whatever,” Senator Cormann said.

“I tried to get a job in Perth, where I arrived. Back in the mid 1990s the legal fraternity in Western Australia was still comparatively protectionist in terms of the capacity of non-English speaking background or non-Australian educated law graduate students.

“I ended up working as a staffer for a politician because that was the only immediately transferable skill where there wasn’t any protectionism in place that I could deploy in the short term.”

He said his adopted nation provided its citizens with more opportunity than any other.

“For as long as I have lived in Australia, from the moment I arrived here in 1996 as a migrant from Belgium, I have often said: how good is Australia,” Senator Cormann said.

“Because this is truly a country that wherever you come from, whatever corner of the world, if you come with the right attitude, with an intention to have a go, work hard, do the best you can in whatever your chosen field of endeavour, there is really, truly no limit to what you can achieve in your chosen field of endeavour.”

Senator Cormann said the highlight of his seven years as finance minister was securing major income tax cuts.

He finished by slightly altering a line made famous by another German speaker, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“I won’t be back,” he said to laughter.