Questions raised after Scott Morrison’s new defence job revealed

Mr Morrison will clock in alongside key former Trump figures, former secretary of state Mike Pompeo and ex-security advisor Robert O’Brien.

Scott Morrison has come under fire for taking on two jobs in the US private defence sector after the former prime minister announced his exit from politics.

After revealing plans to resign in February, Mr Morrison said he would be joining consulting firm American Global Strategies as non-executive vice chairman.

He will also assume a strategic advisor role with AUKUS investor DYNE Maritime, alongside former US Secretary of State and ex-CIA director Mike Pompeo.

The venture capital company invests in technologies related to the joint security agreement that was orchestrated under Mr Morrison’s leadership.

Greens defence spokesman David Shoebridge said Mr Morrison’s swift move into the private defence sector was an example of why the public was cynical about politicians.

“Morrison is leaving politics only to grab his very unfair share of the billions of dollars of public money that he has shovelled into AUKUS,” Senator Shoebridge said.

The former Liberal leader was behind the formation of the AUKUS deal. Picture: Martin Ollman/NCA NewsWire.

“At a minimum, no one should be able to step straight into an industry they either regulated or showered with public finds.”

Mr Morrison’s recent appointment follows in the footsteps of his former defence industry minister Christopher Pyne, who copped heavy backlash in 2019 after taking up a defence consulting role shortly after leaving parliament.

Both Mr Pyne and ex-foreign minister Julie Bishop are among a long list of ministers who have accepted high-level private sector jobs in areas related to their former ministerial duties.

Independent MP Monique Ryan, who has pushed to introduce laws to stop ex-leaders from swiftly entering private sector jobs in similar portfolios, said ministers should have to wait at least three years before making the move.

Christopher Pyne took a job with consulting giant EY just over a month after he left politics. Picture: Ian Currie/NCA NewsWire.

“One of the biggest problems is the so-called ‘revolving door’ where politicians with connections to the highest levels of government leave parliament and walk straight into lobbying firms, where they are paid high wages for their inside knowledge and contacts,” Dr Ryan told NCA NewsWire.

“Scott Morrison’s new job is a lobbying job. He will leverage personal gain off the insider knowledge from being in government.”

According to the Statement of Ministerial Standards, former ministers will not lobby members of the government on matters they had dealt with as a minister for 18 months after they leave office.

Mr Morrison told media on Wednesday he plans to start his new jobs in March.

“We’ll be staying here in The Shire,” Mr Morrison said.

“We can do these things overseas … and often when people leave jobs like this you take on some strategic advisory board roles.”

Originally published as Questions raised after Scott Morrison’s new defence job revealed