Veracity of statements by Scott Morrison

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made numerous false and misleading statements over the course of his political career. The veracity of Morrison's statements has been reported on many times by Australian and international press, and has also been commented on by various public figures. Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has commented that "Scott has always had a reputation for telling lies." Public perception of Morrison's tendency to deliver false statements is seen as problematic for his political party, the Liberal National Coalition. In 2021, online news site Crikey compiled a dossier of "27 significant lies and falsehoods" delivered by the Prime Minister; by 2022, the number of false statements catalogued had grown to 50, though additions during this time include statements made before 2021. Compilations of significant untrue statements delivered by Morrison have also been published by other news outlets including The Guardian.
Morrison's credibility has been commented on by several high profile figures, including French President Emmanuel Macron, former Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull, and colleagues from the Coalition Gladys Berejiklian and Barnaby Joyce.
Morrison has denied having told lies publicly. In an interview with 3AW radio in which he was asked "Prime Minister Scott Morrison, have you ever told a lie in public life?" Morrison replied "I don't believe I have, no. No."
Statements on specific topics
Holiday during the 2019 bushfire crisis
In 2019, during the black summer bushfires, Morrison's office denied rumours that the Prime Minister was on holiday in Hawaii. It was later confirmed that the rumours were true and Morrison had travelled to Hawaii for a family holiday. Guardian and New Daily both reported that the Prime Minister's office said the rumours were 'wrong' and refused to disclose his location.
In 2021, Morrison said that he had texted opposition leader Anthony Albanese his whereabouts during the 2019 bushfires. The Guardian reports Morrison saying during question time "I can only speak to what I have said. As the leader of the opposition will know because I texted him from the plane when I was going o that leave, and told him where I was going, and he was fully aware of where I was travelling with my family," However, Morrison had only told Albanese that he was going on leave with his family, not where he was going. Morrison was later reported to have corrected his statement. RMIT ABC fact checkers investigated the claim and found standard electric vehicles on the market at the time could travel on average between 300 on a single charge. More expensive models had enough power to tow a boat or caravan, contrary to the claim. The Tesla Model X at the time could reach 500km on a single charge with towing capacity.
Morrison also said during an interview with Channel Seven that under their policy in 2019 ' were going to put up the price of fuel.' However, Guardian reports that there was no element of Labor's policy that imposed a tax or price on petrol vehicles.
Use of the insult "Shanghai Sam"
In 2019 Morrison denied having used the nickname "Shanghai Sam" to refer to former senator Sam Dastyari. However, Morrison had previously been recorded using the phrase 17 times. However, National Greenhouse Gas Inventory data showed that emissions at the time were only 5 million tonnes less than they were under the previous government.
In an interview with Karl Stefanovic on Channel 9's Today Show on January 20 2020, Morrison said "We will reduce our carbon emissions per capita by half between now and 2030". However, Crikey reports that this statement contradicted what was forecasted by the Australian Government at the time. However, Guardian reports that numerous decarbonisation studies recommend an energy transition in which Australia burns less gas and coal. Guardian cited studies published by Beyond Zero Emissions, the Australian Energy Market Operator, ClimateWorks, ANU, UNSW, Institute for Sustainable Futures, Stanford University, CSIRO and the Energy Networks Association as examples.
Sports rorts affair
In a press conference held on January 29, 2020 Morrison told reporters that the Auditor General did not find that any ineligible projects were funded under the Community Sport Infrastructure program. However, the Auditor General's office, the ANAO, gave evidence to the Senate Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants on February 13, 2020 that 43% of projects funded under the program were ineligible when agreements were signed.
At the press conference, Morrison denied that the government used funds under the scheme for its own private political interests.
Involvement of the Prime Minister's Office in decision making
On May 13, 2020 Morrison said during Parliamentary Question Time that decisions under the Community Sport Infrastructure program were made under the authority of the Minister for Sport, and that the only authority sought from the Prime Minister's office was in relation to announcements. However, the ANAO found that the Prime Minister's office directly requested the addition and removal of projects from the program's list of approved projects.
COVID-19 Pandemic
Australia's vaccination rollout
In September 2020, Morrison stated that agreements signed with pharmaceutical companies would put Australia "at the top of the queue" for the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines. However, Crikey reported that this claim was untrue.
Morrison said "It is true that at this stage of our rollout, it is actually better than where Germany was, better than where New Zealand was, better than where South Korea and Japan was …"
RMIT ABC Fact Check investigated the claim and reported that it was misleading, as although Australia had outperformed New Zealand, South Korea, and Japan, it was behind Germany. ABC's assessment was based on the number of vaccine doses delivered at 43 days. At the time, Australia had delivered 3.4 doses per 100 people, while Germany had delivered 4.1 doses per 100 people. The statement was in response to a suggestion of favouritism in relation to financial assistance provided to Sydney during its 2021 lockdowns. However, Crikey reports that this statement was false, as Victorians were required to meet a liquid assets test to qualify for financial assistance, while the test was waived for residents of New South Wales.
And, "You can go down to Port Botany or down to Kurnell and have a look out there and you can see them lining up, and every single one of them lining up is being held back from Australians getting what they need."
On Morrison's assertion that medical supplies were affected, Sydney Morning Herald reported that port operator Patrick Terminals admitted that the industrial dispute did not cause any containers of medical supplies to be held up in transit.
International travel by former PM Kevin Rudd during the pandemic
On December 7, 2020 Morrison stated during parliamentary question time that former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd had travelled overseas during the pandemic. This was in response to a question about former Liberal ministers travelling overseas. However, Rudd never left the country during the pandemic. Morrison later issued an apology to Rudd, saying that his statement was based on information he understood to be correct at the time. after the Australian government made the decision to acquire nuclear submarines through the AUKUS agreement, which Australia had recently entered. The incident damaged ties between Australia and France; the Washington Post reported that France saw the cancellation as a betrayal and officials described it as a "stab in the back." When asked by reporters at the COP26 summit if he thought Morrison lied to him, Macron replied, "I don't think, I know."
At a Glasgow press conference in November 2021, Morrison cited concerns over delays and costs as the reason for terminating the contract. However, this conflicted with statements made by Australian defence officials, who said that the decision was due to changes in operational requirements. According to defence secretary Greg Moriarty, there had been no cost blowout. Guardian reports that in October, Moriarty explained that the project was shelved "because requirements have changed, not because of poor performance." ABC News reports that while Morrison implied Macron's accusations were a slur against Australia, most Australian observers saw it as a personal insult directed at Morrison. In an interview Morrison told 2GB radio's Ben Fordham, "If you're someone coming from overseas and there are conditions for you to enter this country, well you have to comply with them. And it's as simple as that. This is this is about someone who sought to come to Australia and not comply with the entry rules at our border."
Morrison's statement also contradicted official reasons provided by Commonwealth Government to the High Court in affidavits. The Canberra Times reported that the official reason for the deportation of Djokovic was that " ongoing presence in Australia may lead to an increase in anti-vaccination sentiment generated in the Australian community, potentially leading to an increase in civil unrest of the kind previously experienced in Australia with rallies and protests which may themselves be a source of community transmission."
"Manchurian candidate" accusations
In February 2022, Morrison made remarks in Parliament accusing federal MP Richard Marles of being a "Manchurian candidate", an insult used to describe a puppet acting for an enemy power. Morrison later withdrew the comment. However, following the remarks politicians and prominent members of the defence community expressed concern about the politicisation of national security.
Morrison made the comment at a press conference while addressing the issue of sexual assault within Parliament House. He said to Newscorp journalists "Right now, you would be aware that in your own organisation that there is a person who has had a complaint made against them of harassment of a woman in a women's toilet." Multiple news sources contested this statement and reported that it was untrue. Morrison said to reporters in Perth, "The unemployment rate at four per cent is the lowest rate that we've seen in almost 50 years. I was five years old when we last had an unemployment rate this low …" However, SBS News and Pedestrian report that the last time the employment rate was 4 percent was in 2008, only fourteen years prior. Porter had received an undisclosed sum of money through a blind trust to cover his legal fees. Morrison replied 'That's included in his register of interests'. However, Porter's register of interests did not contain any reference to the amount of money he had received from the anonymous source.
Commonwealth Government support for Clive Palmer's legal action against Western Australia
In 2020, businessman Clive Palmer launched legal proceedings in the High Court against the government of Western Australia, challenging the constitutionality of Western Australia's border closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Commonwealth Attorney General Christian Porter intervened in the proceeding in support of Palmer and filed a Notice of Intervention under Section 78A of the Judiciary Act 1903 on June 12, 2020.
On August 30, 2021 Federal MP Patrick Gorman asked the Prime Minister during Question Time in Parliament why the Commonwealth government supported Palmer in the case. Morrison stated that government never pursued that case and accused the Labor party of perpetuating a falsehood. Morrison said "The member must be misinformed, because the Commonwealth did not pursue that case, and it is erroneous to suggest that that is what the government did. The government did not pursue that case at all. We did not pursue that case. The Labor Party continues to push this falsehood around the country." Multiple news sources disputed Morrison's statement.
Bipartisan support for a two state solution in Israel and Palestine
At an address and Q&A held on May 14, 2021, Morrison commented (referring to a two state solution in Israel and Palestine) that "As a Government, we believe in the two-state solution. It seems now in politics here in Australia that is no longer a bipartisan view, and I think that's disappointing."
However, the previous day the opposition Labor party expressed support for a two state solution. In a statement on the ongoing Palestine crisis, Labor foreign affairs spokesperson Penny Wong said that Labor remained "committed to a just and enduring two-state solution."
Australia's stance on Taiwan
On May 6, 2021 Morrison misstated Australia's position on Taiwan during an interview with 3AW radio's Neil Mitchell. In response to a question on whether Australia would stand with Taiwan in the event of an attack from China, Morrison responded "One country, two systems, I should say." SBS News reported that this appeared to contradict Australia's official stance. Australia's official position is that it does not recognise China's claim to Taiwan, but acknowledges that China makes such a claim. However, it does not officially recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state.
Following the interview, Australian officials told ABC that Morrison had made a mistake. However, news sources including Guardian and Crikey reported that Morrison had attended Hillsong's annual conference in 2019.
Public perception
Polling
On 15 March 2022 a Newspoll survey found that only 40 percent of respondents agreed with the description of Morrison as "trustworthy". This number was down from 59 percent in August 2020. The poll assigned sitting politicians scores based on surveys on 'Trust' and 'Distrust' and found that trust in Morrison's Commonwealth Government had fallen since the COVID-19 pandemic and sexual assault allegations surrounding the government. The Sydney Morning Herald quoted Turnbull as saying "Oh he's lied to me on many occasion." And "Scott has always had a reputation for telling lies."
In February 2022, leaked text messages between former New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian and an unnamed Liberal cabinet minister surfaced in which Berejiklian described Morrison as "horrible" and "untrustworthy". Regarding these texts Network Ten's Peter Van Onselen asked Morrison "In one , she described you as a horrible, horrible person, going on to say she did not trust you, and you are more concerned with politics than people. The minister is even more scathing, describing you as a fraud and 'a complete psycho'. Does this surprise you?" To which Morrison responded, Well, I don't know who you're referring to, or the basis of what you've put to me. But I obviously don't agree with it. And I don't think that that is my record." ABC reports that the messages were sent to Higgins via a third party in March 2021 after she alleged that she had been sexually assaulted by a fellow staffer in Parliament House.<ref name=":39" />
However the Deputy Prime Minister later said that this description of Morrison formed before he became Nationals Leader and Deputy Prime Minister, and that he no longer held this opinion of Morrison. "My view from the backbench about the Prime Minister was based on assumption and commentary, not from a one-on-one working relationship, and, from a one-on-one working relationship, I found a man who has honoured every agreement that he's made with me, and who I have noted has honoured every agreement that he's made with others from both sides of the political fence."<ref name":40" /> According to ABC News, upon hearing learning that the text messages would be made public, Joyce apologised to Morrison and offered his resignation.<ref name":39" />

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