The Power List: Scott Morrison’s confidantes, leadership group are his eyes and ears

The most senior woman in government has a broader role in Scott Morrison’s group of confidantes.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne has a broader role in the PM’s leadership group: his eyes and ears.

Scott Morrison’s leadership group represents generational change, in the wake of several senior departures from the Abbott/Turnbull era. 

While Josh Frydenberg and Mathias Cormann have the most clout among the group, the PM’s other close confidantes within his ministry are relatively young by political standards.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, Attorney-General Christian Porter, Trade Minister Simon Birmingham, Health Minister Greg Hunt and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne and deputy Nationals leader Bridget McKenzie all have a seat at the leadership group’s table.

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Payne – the most senior woman in government – has a broader role in the leadership group. Morrison has known her for more than 25 years, establishing a close friendship. She is Morrison’s eyes and ears on the factional warring within the moderate wing of the NSW branch of the Liberal Party.

Another common theme sprinkled across Morrison’s circle of confidantes and advisers is the Prime Minister’s faith. Stuart Robert, his former flatmate who won promotion to lead Morrison’s government services overhaul, and former NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione, are devout Christians and close friends of the PM. Mark Bouris – the founder of Wizard Home Loans who later launched Yellow Brick Road – is another of Morrison’s good mates. His is an extraordinary tale, the self-made entrepreneur who took on the big banks and became Australia’s Trump on The Apprentice. The pair – who were photographed at the footy after Morrison became PM – speak about small business and housing reforms and Bouris backed-in Morrison hard against Shorten’s big taxing agenda.

Macquarie Group’s trailblazing Shemara Wikramanayake is another who has crashed through barriers. The Macquarie Group managing-director-chief executive is the only female CEO among Australia’s 20 biggest companies by market value and the first Asian-Australian woman to head an ASX200 listed company.

Senator Bridget McKenzie, second from left, also has a seat at the Prime Minister’s leadership table.