Scott Morrison rules out calling election if Liberals lose Wentworth

PM rules out calling a general election if the government loses its crucial seat, and rejects suggestions he’s been rolled over Dave Sharma’s preselection.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has used a radio interview to put more distance between himself and his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull. Picture: AAP

Scott Morrison has ruled out calling a general election if the government loses the by-election in Malcolm Turnbull’s old seat of Wentworth, and therefore its one seat majority in parliament.

Visiting his childhood home of Bronte in the eastern Sydney seat today with newly preselected candidate David Sharma, the Prime Minister batted away questions about his previous support for former Woollahra deputy mayor Katherine O’Regan.

As The Australian reported yesterday, Mr Morrison’s lieutenants tried to persuade Mr Sharma to pull out of the race in favour of a female candidate, but the Prime Minister was overruled by his predecessors Mr Turnbull and John Howard, who backed Mr Sharma, a former ambassador to Israel, for the seat.

.@ScottMorrisonMP: This is an electorate of job creators. This by-election is a great opportunity to distinguish that we want all Australians to do better, whether they’re living here in Wentworth or right across the country.

MORE: https://t.co/9H90NNksYI #SkyLiveNow pic.twitter.com/VnFSLTJEo5

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) September 14, 2018

Asked if he would call a general election should he lose Wentworth, Mr Morrison said: “I’ll call a general election in the national interest when it’s due.”

“What I understand from the Australian people is they expect governments, under whatever circumstances to serve their term,” the Prime Minister said.

“Malcolm Turnbull had that view. I have that view. We’re getting on with the job.

“The media will have to find something else to write about, because we’ll go to an election next year.

“That’s when it’s due, and we’ll continue to do the work that you would expect from a government that is focused on the needs and the interests of the Australian people.

“Over the next four or five weeks, we’ll have a good opportunity for Dave and I and my colleagues to be having a chat about a lot of those issues down here.”

Mr Morrison rejected suggestions he had been “rolled” given his lieutenants had been unsuccessful in their attempts to persuade Mr Sharma not to run.

“No, I reject that, because what I’ve said is that I want to see more women in parliament, and I want to see more Liberal women in parliament, and I don’t think anyone has any problem with that, but you’ve got to pick the best candidate, and Dave was the best candidate last night, and that was clear to all the selectors,” Mr Morrison said.

Back in my old stomping ground at Bronte to meet the new Liberal Candidate for Wentworth, @DaveSharma. pic.twitter.com/G5dwQcGRoo

— Scott Morrison (@ScottMorrisonMP) September 14, 2018

“So I’m happy to say I want to see more Liberal women in parliament, but it’s always got to be the best candidate, and that’s how it works in the Liberal Party.

“I said all week, ‘I want the Liberal Party members to decide on their candidate,’ and that’s exactly what they did, and I would support whichever candidate they chose.”

Pressed again on Liberal powerbrokers’ attempts to get Mr Sharma to pull out, Mr Morrison accused The Australian’s NSW political editor Andrew Clennell of being “into conspiracies”.

Visiting Bronte Beach, Mr Morrison spoke of his family connection to the area where his father was an alderman on the local council and later a mayor and police commander, and where he and his wife Jenny bought their first home.

Mr Morrison said his father had stood for the local council to fight high rise development in the area, pointing out a plaque marking his father’s service to church, youth and community groups in the area.

“He set me an example about what service to Australia was all about in your community, and I know that Dave (Sharma) will set the same example as our Liberal candidate as he puts himself forward to the people of Wentworth at this by-election, at this very important by-election,” Mr Morrison said.

“The people of Wentworth, I know, know that you’ve always got to pick the best person for the job, and that’s what we’ve been able to do last night, and I said all week that I wanted the Liberal Party members to make their pick, and they have made their pick and they’ve made great pick.

“Dave has an extraordinary background and experience working overseas, here in Australia in business, in diplomatic circles, in the Pacific, in the United States, over in the Middle East, and he has an exemplary track record.

“He’s one of the few blokes who can walk into a room and pretty much always be the smartest person in the room. He got 100 in his TER, so he’s certainly going to have that advantage taking issues forward.”

Mr Morrison said Wentworth was an “electorate of job creators”, pointing to 100,000 members of the seat with jobs, and 29,000 small businesses.

“We want small businesses to have that opportunity, and we want Australians, whether they are living here in Wentworth, or the Shire or any part of Australia to be able to go and create those opportunities for others, so that’s what we will be focusing on here in the by-election on the 20th of October,” he said.

In a sign he wants to avoid the mistakes of the Super Saturday by-elections, where some members of the government talked up their chances, only to follow historical precedent and lose, Mr Morrison warned that the by-election would be a tight contest.

Mr Turnbull’s margin after the 2016 election was 17.7 per cent, down from 18.9 in 2013.

“And Malcolm, I want to pay tribute to for his service, not just to our country, but to his local community in Wentworth,” Mr Morrison said.

“He has worked for mental health, in particular, he has worked to support local health services, local surf clubs, local community groups.

“While Malcolm served at every level in the Australian parliament, he never forgot his service to the local community, which had been a part of all of his life, and I think Dave and I both, and on behalf of Liberals in Wentworth, want to say thank you to Malcolm for your service to your local community, and I know that will continue with Malcolm because he has always been such a part of this local community.”

Mr Sharma said he was looking forward to working with the Liberal team to hold onto Wentworth.

“It’s a very important by-election we’ve got coming up as the Prime Minister said. It’s a tough one as well, and I know I’ve got big shoes to fill with Malcolm Turnbull,” he said.

“He’s got an immense local appeal in this electorate. He did a huge amount of Wentworth, he did a huge amount for Australia, and I do want to honour him and acknowledge that debt.

“I can assure you I’ll be giving my all in this by-election with the support of the Prime Minister and other senior ministers I hope, and doing our best to keep Wentworth in Liberal hands.”

Mr Morrison welcomed Mr Sharma to “Team ScoMo”, saying his experience and capabilities had shone through at last night’s preselection.

“If Dave’s elected here, in his first outing, then what you will see is a continued focus on an even stronger Australia, keeping our economy strong, to guarantee the essential services Australians rely on, keeping Australians safe, and keeping Australians together, of all faiths, of all backgrounds,” he said.

“Dave’s own experience, coming as an immigrant with his father and his mum from an Indian background, part of Australia’s rich multicultural society.”

PM backs away from Turnbull

Mr Morrison earlier continued his campaign to differentiate himself from his wealthy businessman predecessor Malcolm Turnbull, describing himself as a “mortgage-belt Liberal” in a series of interviews on Sydney FM radio.

Attempting to present himself as an average bloke, Mr Morrison shared his love for the Cronulla Sharks, spoke of his school days at Sydney Boys’ High, and revealed he featured in a TV commercial as a child.

“I’m a mortgage-belt Liberal. I’ve got a mortgage like everyone else, I’ve got two young kids, nine and eleven, going to school,” the Prime Minister told the Triple M “Grill Team” when asked what he stood.

“That’s the centre of my life, is my family,” the Prime Minister said.

“The values that come out of being a dad, the values that come out of just living a life in the suburbs of Sydney.

“That’s how I grew up as well, they’re the values and beliefs that I think you’ve got to take into the job. Because that’s what everyone else is dealing with.”

Mr Morrison said he realised not everyone was feeling the prosperity of the improved Australian economy, but he had plans to make sure they could do better on their mortgage and have lower power bills.

Asked whether he could give an example of how his government was benefiting workers on a nearby road project, Mr Morrison said they would be paying less tax because of his tax cuts for small and medium sized businesses.

“They’re paying less tax on the utes that they’ve bought,” he said.

“Those who are earning, every dollar every day now, the tax plan I had put through the parliament, means we’re getting rid of a whole threshold in the tax system.

“No one will pay, under the tax plan I’ve already had legislated into the future, any more than 32.5 per cent in tax on their marginal rate, other than 6 per cent of the population. So 94 per cent, no more than 32.5 cents in the dollar on tax.”

Asked how he was paying for the tax cuts, Mr Morrison pointed to a stronger economy.

“The economy is now growing at 3.4 per cent. Faster than the US. Faster than the UK. Faster than Japan, faster than Germany, all of these countries,” he said.

“Now we’ve done that through a lot of hard work. If you grow the economy, then there is more for everybody.

“If you do things which hurt the economy, like put taxes up on it and have stupid regulations and you don’t support small business, then the economy gets smaller.”

Asked whether he would have enough time to persuade the Australian people he is a “safe pair of hands” ahead of the next election, Mr Morrison said he had been part of the government for the last five years.

“I was there when we stopped the boats and was critical and central to that. I was there in Social Services when we’ve now got the level of people being dependent on welfare, of a working age, to the lowest level in 25 years,” he said.

“I’ve been there as the Treasurer as we’ve got the Budget, getting it close back to balance and the economy has been improving and getting taxes down. So we’ve got a track record.

“But look, people are giving me a go, and I thank them for that.

“They are giving me a go and they understand that the events of a few weeks ago were just completely mystifying but they’re also prepared to give me a go.

“The election is next year, so there’s time, I think, for people just to get to know me. I’m just going to be myself.

“I was down in Melbourne last week on the Grill Team down there in Melbourne and I agreed with (Melbourne Triple M host) Eddie (McGuire).

“They were going; “Oh what’s your AFL team?” And I said; “Well I don’t have one, I don’t follow the AFL.”

As The Australian revealed earlier this week, Mr Morrison has portrayed himself as a one-eyed Cronulla Sharks fan but it wasn’t that long ago that he preferred rugby union while also being a supporter of the AFL’s Western Bulldogs.

“You know, I’m a Sharks supporter. That’s who I support,” Mr Morrison said.

“Look, I go along to the games and I enjoy them like I’m sure you do if you go to a game of AFL. But you know, what you’re going to get from me, is just me.”

Queensland-born Victorian Labor senator Kimberley Kitching said Mr Morrison appeared to be just as fickle about his AFL team as he had been about his support for Liberal leaders.

“Just as he broke Tony Abbott’s heart, he’s stabbing the Western Bulldogs in the back too,” Senator Kitching said.

“The Prime Minister is trolling the people of Victoria with his support of the Western Bulldogs when they were winning the flag, now dropping them like a slippery Sherrin on a winter’s day & pretending he never barracked for them now they’ve slumped a bit.

“It’s a kick in the guts for Melbourne’s West.

“As an immigrant from Queensland, whose first gift on arrival was an Essendon beanie from my husband, I know and all Victorians know the value of sticking and of loyalty,” Senator Kitching said.

Mr Morrison said he was “open to a lot of things” as a schoolboy at Sydney Boys’ High imagining his future.

“I was enjoying just hanging out with my mates and playing footy,” he said.

“I used to row back at school then, so that meant I was a bit slimmer than I am now, but I was just looking forward to my future.”

Asked for his “biggest vice”, he said he likes a beer.

Mr Morrison also took a call on air from Turnbull impersonator “Malcolm from Point Piper”.

“Now before the spill, when you were patting me on the back Scomo did you have a knife in your hand? There was one stuck right between my shoulder blades,” the impersonator said.

“Who is this muppet?” Mr Morrison asked.

“Well, that’s very rich coming from Fozzie Bear,” the impersonator hit back, in reference to Mr Morrison’s earlier declaration that his party’s leadership wrangling had been a “Muppet Show”.

“So after winning 38 consecutive preferred Prime Minister’s why did I get kicked out, by the way?” the Turnbull impersonator asked.

“Mate, I don’t know who you’re pretending to be today, but I know who I am,” Mr Morrison hit back.

Mr Morrison was also asked about a rumour that he had appeared in an advertisement for Vick’s VapoRub.

“No, no that wasn’t me. I was in another commercial, which thankfully, that’s when digital cameras and footage weren’t around,” Mr Morrison said.

“I suspect that is long on the cutting room floor, from a long time ago.

“Someone thought they had it, they thought it was that kid. No I was in another one. I’ll give them a hint, I was wearing a yellow rain coat.”