Ex-minister who ousted Scott Morrison from Tourism Australia says he must leave parliament

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Friday that former High Court justice Virginia Bell would lead an inquiry into Morrison’s secret appointments and that the probe would look into “how this happened, why it happened, who knew about it”.

A report by the solicitor-general released last week found there was nothing illegal or unconstitutional in Morrison’s secret portfolio appointments, but that it was inconsistent with the principle and functioning of responsible government.

Bailey said Morrison must leave parliament following the solicitor-general’s findings.

“The Liberal Party has to prove to the Australian public that it has listened, it has got the message, and that it is prepared to adapt, just as society is adapting, and changing,” she said.

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“It can’t do that while Scott Morrison sits on those benches, and is a constant reminder of all of the awful things that happened during the Morrison government.”

Senior Liberal figures fear the party could lose the seat of Cook to an independent if Morrison decides to go early in this term of parliament.

But Bailey said it was an opportunity for the party to show it can move on from Morrison and preselect a “strong, young professional woman who could do the best job for that electorate”.

Morrison’s exit from Tourism Australia in 2006 has long been the source of political intrigue.

As revealed in The Age state political editor Annika Smethurst’s 2021 Morrison biography, The Accidental Prime Minister, Bailey felt under pressure from Morrison to release millions of dollars in taxpayers’ cash to fund the controversial “So where the bloody hell are you?” tourism campaign.

John Howard, who was prime minister at the time, told the book’s author that Morrison’s exit from Tourism Australia was down to a “personality conflict” with Bailey.

Senior Coalition frontbencher Dan Tehan, who was Bailey’s chief of staff at the time, last year echoed Howard’s comments.

“And it’s not the first time we’ve seen a personality clash in politics,” he said.

But Bailey has now rejected this assertion, saying “it was simply that he was not up to the job, and I had no trust in him”.

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Asked why she hasn’t told the full story for 16 years, Bailey said she didn’t see the need initially to tell anyone because it was an internal portfolio decision.

“What has changed my mind about giving this interview is that all of those characteristics that make up Scott Morrison: the secrecy … the supreme belief that only he can do a job, the lack of consultation with those closest to him, those characteristics were evident 16 years ago,” she said.

“And perhaps we’re seeing the end result of those now with the loss of the election. Sixteen years, and I think … it is about time that I actually set the record straight.

“It’s not something that I have stewed over for all those 16 years, but I certainly have become very concerned as he worked his way through the ministry, and I was gobsmacked when he became prime minister. Because I knew what he was really like to work with, and I think that’s been a tragedy for the Liberal Party and it has been a tragedy for our nation.”

Asked whether she felt bullied by Morrison when he was head of Tourism Australia, Bailey said: “Oh, absolutely, yes”.

“He doesn’t have any soft approach. You know, I think he actually said himself in the election that – describing himself as a ‘bulldozer’. Yup, he’s a bulldozer.”

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