Scott Morrison on the 12 Axes: What He Believes

Scott Morrison, axis by axis

PublicPrivate

PlannedFree

He promised lower taxes and argued that markets rather than regulation should handle climate change. Even so, the pandemic led him to bring in the JobKeeper wage subsidy. He scores moderately toward markets.

03Welfare+30

SharedSelf-reliant

04Authority+25

DemocraticStrong leader

While prime minister he had himself secretly sworn into several ministries, and parliament censured him for it in 2022. That gives a mild lean toward executive power.

05Security+55

LibertyOrder

06Structure+15

LocalCentral

07Morality+60

ProgressiveTraditional

08Religion+55

SecularReligious

As Australia's first Pentecostal prime minister, he has spoken openly about his faith. That puts him toward a public place for religion.

09TechnologyNo clear record

EmbraceCaution

10Culture+45

MulticulturalNational identity

He carried out boat turnbacks and vowed to keep migration in check, while also describing an Australia that welcomes people whatever their ethnicity or faith. He scores toward national identity.

11Trade-30

GlobalProtected

12Foreign policy+55

CooperationStrength

He signed the AUKUS submarine deal, called for an outside investigation into where COVID-19 began and afterward testified in America on economic pressure from China. He scores toward strength.

One axis has no clear record, so matching leaves it out.

Who is Scott Morrison?

Scott Morrison, born in Sydney in 1968, is a former Liberal prime minister of Australia. His career began in the tourism industry in both New Zealand and Australia, followed by a job as New South Wales state director for the Liberal Party. In 2007 he was elected to the seat of Cook. He put Operation Sovereign Borders into action as immigration minister and was later treasurer. A leadership crisis made him prime minister in August 2018. He won the 2019 election but lost in 2022. He stepped down from parliament on 28 February 2024. Since then he has taken advisory and corporate jobs.

Political views

He claimed to speak for 'quiet' hardworking Australians and offered them an Australia that rewards effort: 'if you have a go, you get a go'.Source: moadoph.gov.au
He promised to clear federal debt within ten years with no tax rises, in part by moving people from welfare into jobs.Source: moadoph.gov.au
He promised secure borders and managed migration, as one part of a population plan.Source: moadoph.gov.au
He backed practical cuts to emissions, yet said the economy would not be put at risk.Source: moadoph.gov.au
After the 2021 climate conference in Glasgow he committed Australia to net zero by 2050, though he did not put the goal into law.Source: en.wikipedia.org
He opposed same-sex marriage and, when the 2017 bill came up, tried to amend it to protect religious freedom.Source: en.wikipedia.org
He called the 2021 AUKUS deal with the US and UK the most significant defence agreement Australia had made since ANZUS.Source: moadoph.gov.au
In the COVID-19 emergency he created the JobKeeper wage subsidy. His line was that government must judge when to act and when to hold off.Source: moadoph.gov.au

Legacy

Supporters credit Morrison with the surprise win in 2019, with a COVID-19 response that left Australia among a small group of Western countries that held the virus down, and with the National Cabinet, AUKUS and a firm line against Chinese trade pressure. Critics fault his Hawaii trip during the bushfire summer of 2019-2020, the slow early vaccine rollout, his response to 2021 sexual misconduct allegations at Parliament House and what they see as weak climate policy. The Robodebt royal commission reported in 2023 that, on the unlawful welfare debt scheme, he had given cabinet a misleading picture. In 2026 the National Anti-Corruption Commission decided he had not engaged in corrupt conduct. Once he was out of office, parliament also censured him over the secret ministries.

In their own words

“An Australia where, if you have a go, you get a go.”

Federal election campaign launch, 2019

Scott Morrison: questions

Which party does Scott Morrison belong to?

He is a member of the Liberal Party of Australia. He was its leader and the prime minister between 2018 and 2022, and he quit parliament in February 2024.

Why did parliament censure Scott Morrison?

News broke in 2022 that he had been quietly sworn into several portfolios already held by other ministers during his time as prime minister. In November 2022 parliament voted to censure him.

What is AUKUS?

AUKUS is a 2021 pact among Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, and Morrison signed it. In his words, it was the biggest defence agreement for Australia since ANZUS.

Scott Morrison