The Prime Minister ramped up his personal attacks on Opposition leader Anthony Albanese during another fiery Question Time on Thursday declaring “all he is is small”.
And despite warnings from a current and former chief of Australia’s spy agency about weaponising national security, Scott Morrison also continued to attack against Labor over being soft on China.
“The leader of the Labor Party is the Chinese government’s pick at this election,” he said at one point, repeating a claim by Defence Minister Petter Dutton last week that caused parliament to erupt.
Mr Morrison launched into his first attack on China and Mr Albanese on Thursday after being questioned by deputy Labor leader Richard Marles about leaked text messages between former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian during the bushfire crisis.
In them, she said reportedly wrote that Mr Morrison was more concerned with politics than people.
“Wasn’t Gladys Berejiklian right? Why won’t the Prime Minister just his job?” Mr Marles asked.
Mr Morrison firstly said he rejected the premise of the question, labelling it “false”.
But he later turned his attention to China.
“If there is any country out there, including in our region, who think they can bully and coerce Australia, they won’t find a preferred candidate in this Prime Minister,” he said.
“They might find one on the other side, and they certainly seem to have found one.
“But they won’t find one in this Prime Minister.
“You cannot be weak-kneed if you want to do this job.
“Strength in this job is what this job is all about.
“The leader of the Labor Party likes to think he’s a small target. That’s his plan. All he is is small. And he is diminishing by the day. He is diminishing by the day.”
Mr Morrison was later asked about a warning by former ASIO boss Dennis Richardson that creating an artificial division on national security only served one country – China.
xjmtzyw“I do indeed respect Mr Richardson,” Mr Morrison said.
“This year, the Australian people will face a choice.
“And we are facing one of the most uncertain times that we have ever faced since the Second World War.
“Australians have to make a choice about who they believe is strong enough to lead this country through these times.
“I wish there was the level of bipartisanship on these issues, I wish there was.”
Mr Albanese then tabled a letter he had received from the Prime Minister in October 2021 about the AUKUS submarine deal.
“I thank you and your frontbench for support of AUKUS and the government’s decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines,” Mr Morrison’s letter read.
It later concluded: “I thank you for the bipartisan approach the Opposition has taken in this vital national endeavour”.
The Prime Minister’s latest China attacks come after ASIO’s director-general Mike Burgess agreed to a rare interview on ABC’s 7.30 on Wednesday.
In it, he said it was “not helpful” when politicians weaponised national security.
“Foreign interference is against all members of parliament, so it doesn’t go off to one particular party or the other; it’s kind of equal opportunity in that regards,” Mr Burgess said.
On Wednesday Mr Morrison was forced to withdraw a remark where he called Mr Marles a “Manchurian candidate” – which means politician being used as a puppet by an enemy or power.
