Scott Morrison has been forced to defend himself after being confronted with explosive text messages between former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and a senior minister.
The Prime Minister was grilled about the texts during a major speech to the National Press Club on Tuesday.
Network 10 political editor Peter van Onselen read the texts aloud during the nationally televised speech.
“In one she describes you as, ‘a horrible, horrible person,’ going on to say she did not trust you and you're more concerned with politics than people,” van Onselen said.
“The Minister is even more scathing, describing you as a ‘fraud’ and ’a complete psycho’. Does this exchange surprise you? And what do you think that it tells us?”
The Prime Minister was visibly stunned by the messages but sought to shrug it off.
“I don't know who you’re referring to or the basis of what you’ve put to me,” he said.
“But I obviously don’t agree with it and I don’t think that is my record.”
In additional text messages revealed by Network 10, Ms Berejiklian accused the Prime Minister of being obsessed with “petty political point scoring” during the Black Summer bushfires.
“Lives are at stake today and he is just obsessed with petty political point scoring,” the text message reportedly said.
In another sent while the Prime Minister was on holiday in Hawaii as the deadly disaster unfolded, Ms Berejiklian wrote she was “so disappointed and gutted”.
The former premier told the unnamed minister Mr Morrison was “actively spreading lies” about her.
They responded: “Desperate and jealous”.
The Prime Minister refused to answer further questions about the messages as he left the National Press Club.
In a statement, Ms Berejiklian said she had “no recollection” of the messages and retreated support for Mr Morrison.
“I understand there has been some commentary today concerning myself and the PM. I have no recollection ofxjmtzyw such messages,” she said.
“Let me reiterate my very strong support for Prime Minister Morrison and all he is doing for our nation during these very challenging times.
“I also strongly believe he is the best person to lead our nation for years to come.”
It’s not the first time the public has been given a hint at the frosty relations between Mr Morrison and Ms Berejiklian.
In August last year, news.com.au revealed Ms Berejiklian blew up at the Prime Minister over claims she ignored his advice to lockdown NSW during its second wave.
“Gladys lost her sh*t. She said ‘That’s rubbish, that’s absolute rubbish’,” a NSW Minister told news.com.au.
“She said, ‘If they want to start backgrounding on stuff like this, maybe it’s time I started leaking stuff that the PM says to me that never comes to fruition, like on vaccines’.”
The latest exchange comes just two months after the Prime Minister publicly backed Ms Berejiklian to be the Liberal candidate in the federal seat of Warringah, despite a pending ICAC investigation.
She declined his invitation.
