‘Liar’ label damaging in leadup to election
‘‘It is fair to say that we both positively surprised each other.’’ Scott Morrison Prime minister
Australia’s deputy prime minister concedes a freshly leaked text in which he called Scott Morrison ‘‘a hypocrite and a liar’’ has damaged the prime minister’s reputation.
Barnaby Joyce sent the text on March 22, 2021 to a third party, who passed the message on to former Liberal staffer Brittany Higgins.
It was penned a month after Higgins went public with allegations she was raped in a ministerial office at Parliament House in 2019, sparking a national conversation about treatment of women in the workplace.
‘‘Tell BH [Brittany Higgins] I and Scott, he is Scott to me until I have to recognise his office, don’t get along,’’ a screenshot of the text reads.
‘‘He is a hypocrite and a liar from my observations and that is over a long time. I have never trusted him and I dislike how he earnestly rearranges the truth to a lie.’’
Joyce was a backbencher at the time but returned to the Nationals leadership three months later.
Speaking to the media in Sydney yesterday morning, Joyce publicly apologised to Morrison and played down his characterisation.
‘‘My view from the backbench about the prime minister was based on assumption and commentary, not from a one-on-one working relationship,’’ Joyce told reporters.
‘‘From a one-on-one working relationship, I found a man who has honoured every agreement that he’s made with me.’’
He would not say what prompted him to write the text and insisted he never intended it to be forwarded to Higgins or end up in the public realm. Joyce said he was made aware the text was circulating among third parties last week and immediately called Morrison to personally apologise and offer his resignation, which the prime minister did not accept. Joyce does not believe it will dent the coalition’s chances of winning a fourth consecutive term in government, with voters due to
head to the polls within months.
But he admitted the text message was damaging to Morrison and the ability of the public to trust him.
In a statement, Morrison said he understood Joyce was in a ‘‘different headspace last year’’ and believes he ‘‘genuinely no longer feels this way’’. ‘‘Since coming to the role of DPM [deputy prime minister], it is fair to say that we both positively surprised each other,’’ he said.
‘‘We were never close before this and never pretended to be.’’
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said Joyce’s position was ‘‘untenable’’ and pointed out he had served in cabinet for more than half a decade.
The prime minister’s character was called into question last week when leaked texts revealed recently departed New South Wales premier Gladys Berejiklian labelled him a ‘‘horrible, horrible person’’ who was ‘‘actively spreading lies’’ during the 2019/20 bushfire crisis.