ScoMo and out
Scott Morrison’s retirement from politics leaves behind a mixed legacy
There’s rarely such a thing as a good exit from a political career, particularly for a prime minister. It always ends the same way – you leave government or parliament and leave behind a legacy that is debated for decades to come.
Scott Morrison’s time as prime minister came to an end more than 18 months ago, but he lingered on in parliament before announcing on Tuesday that he would resign.
His near-four years in office were profoundly consequential for Australia, coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic.
While he and his government’s handling of Covid became criticised, particularly for his slow move to secure vaccines, the initial weeks of the pandemic saw Morrison at his best, putting aside his pugilistic political instincts and working together with the Labor premiers to deal rapidly and effectively with one of the biggest crises in our lifetimes. However, it didn’t last long and his embracing of party politics soured relationships and proved disastrous through 2020 and 2021. Gold Coasters enthusiastically voted for Morrison and his government in 2019 and again in 2022.
This support was repaid with the Coalition funding the extension of the light rail’s stage 3 from Broadbeach to Burleigh, as well as a raft of other big-ticket projects, such as the M1 extension.
This was Morrison again at his best – working with his opponents – in this case, state Labor – to achieve a common goal. And the light rail is a project that will have long-lasting ramifications for the city and thus Morrison’s time as prime minister included that large impact on the GC. But he leaves politics with a mixed bag of achievements and a legacy that will remain contested.
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