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The Advertiser
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Why Scott Morrison's King's Birthday honour boils my blood
For eminent service to the people and Parliament of Australia, particularly as prime minister, to notable contributions to global engagement to leadership of the national COVID-19 response, to economic initiatives, and to national security enhancements, especially through leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS. These are the reasons why the Governor-General of Australia bestowed upon former PM, Scott Morrison, highest honour in the land - the Companion of the Order of Australia on the King's Birthday weekend. I don't know about you, but when I heard this, I had to go to the official website to confirm because frankly, I just couldn't believe it. Neither could my 16-year-old son. When I mentioned the award at dinner, his first response was "isn't he the idiot who crapped his pants outside McDonald's that time?" Not, "oh wasn't he the PM before Albo?" or even "was he the one you were writing so much about during COVID?" This is what the kids these days remember him for. Says it all, really. During the pandemic, he deceived the nation by secretly appointing himself to five - FIVE - ministries. The secrecy of these acts undermined democratic accountability and violated principles of responsible government. The Ministers of State Amendment Act 2023 was passed to prevent this from happening again. Does this smack of "eminent service to the people and Parliament"? On the topic of COVID, let's acknowledge his total failure to secure sufficient vaccine supplies early on which led to delays in distribution. Then, when he finally started to get his act together, his over-reliance on AstraZeneca despite the concerns about rare blood clot risks, led to hesitancy and confusion about the safety of vaccines. Unlike the other world leaders who personally lobbied Pfizer executives to secure Pfizer, Morrison chose not to and as such, our early access to the Pfizer doses was limited. Hardly a worthy contribution to global leadership. Then there was the public education campaign around the vaccine that failed to effectively communicate its benefits, and his "it's not a race" messaging, which added fuel to the confusion fire, resulting in misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiment. As a result of all this, we were literally left lagging behind other OECD nation's in our COVID response. While he did instigate JobKeeper, I found it incredible how JobKeeper overpayments to corporations went unchecked, giving them a choice to pay back the additional funds, but overpayments for JobSeeker? Phew - send out the debt notices! Talking of debt notices, the scandalous, harmful robodebt scheme was launched under his leadership when he was the social services minister, and he was the PM at the time of its very timely conclusion. He never took responsibility for it. Instead, he complained that he was a victim of "political lynching". In my opinion, this program represents the most shameful episode of Australia's political history. I was ashamed of my government then. I remain so. You know, maybe what won the award for him was the way he kindly and compassionately considered the very real needs of our most vulnerable Australians (note the sarcasm). His "you have to have a go to get a go" response to people struggling below the poverty line on Centrelink, demanding they pull themselves up by their bootstraps - despite them not having the money for said bootstraps - could conceivably be understood by the overprivileged elites as "good leadership". In reality, it's an entirely different story. Personally, it was when he divided the nation into "the taxed" and the "taxed nots" that had my blood truly boiling; like our worth as a person is counted only in what the government gets out of us. And even then, like we don't all pay tax and excise on petrol, registration and GST. Now there's an example of eminent service to the people. READ MORE: Perhaps the award should have read "for eminent service to the wealthy people." Don't even get me started on the Brittany Higgins case and his failure to even recognise the gravity of the situation until his wife talked to him about it. This is the man who Council for the Order of Australia appointed the highest honour in the land. In my opinion, it's the one case where tradition should have been set aside. For eminent service to the people and Parliament of Australia, particularly as prime minister, to notable contributions to global engagement to leadership of the national COVID-19 response, to economic initiatives, and to national security enhancements, especially through leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS. These are the reasons why the Governor-General of Australia bestowed upon former PM, Scott Morrison, highest honour in the land - the Companion of the Order of Australia on the King's Birthday weekend. I don't know about you, but when I heard this, I had to go to the official website to confirm because frankly, I just couldn't believe it. Neither could my 16-year-old son. When I mentioned the award at dinner, his first response was "isn't he the idiot who crapped his pants outside McDonald's that time?" Not, "oh wasn't he the PM before Albo?" or even "was he the one you were writing so much about during COVID?" This is what the kids these days remember him for. Says it all, really. During the pandemic, he deceived the nation by secretly appointing himself to five - FIVE - ministries. The secrecy of these acts undermined democratic accountability and violated principles of responsible government. The Ministers of State Amendment Act 2023 was passed to prevent this from happening again. Does this smack of "eminent service to the people and Parliament"? On the topic of COVID, let's acknowledge his total failure to secure sufficient vaccine supplies early on which led to delays in distribution. Then, when he finally started to get his act together, his over-reliance on AstraZeneca despite the concerns about rare blood clot risks, led to hesitancy and confusion about the safety of vaccines. Unlike the other world leaders who personally lobbied Pfizer executives to secure Pfizer, Morrison chose not to and as such, our early access to the Pfizer doses was limited. Hardly a worthy contribution to global leadership. Then there was the public education campaign around the vaccine that failed to effectively communicate its benefits, and his "it's not a race" messaging, which added fuel to the confusion fire, resulting in misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiment. As a result of all this, we were literally left lagging behind other OECD nation's in our COVID response. While he did instigate JobKeeper, I found it incredible how JobKeeper overpayments to corporations went unchecked, giving them a choice to pay back the additional funds, but overpayments for JobSeeker? Phew - send out the debt notices! Talking of debt notices, the scandalous, harmful robodebt scheme was launched under his leadership when he was the social services minister, and he was the PM at the time of its very timely conclusion. He never took responsibility for it. Instead, he complained that he was a victim of "political lynching". In my opinion, this program represents the most shameful episode of Australia's political history. I was ashamed of my government then. I remain so. You know, maybe what won the award for him was the way he kindly and compassionately considered the very real needs of our most vulnerable Australians (note the sarcasm). His "you have to have a go to get a go" response to people struggling below the poverty line on Centrelink, demanding they pull themselves up by their bootstraps - despite them not having the money for said bootstraps - could conceivably be understood by the overprivileged elites as "good leadership". In reality, it's an entirely different story. Personally, it was when he divided the nation into "the taxed" and the "taxed nots" that had my blood truly boiling; like our worth as a person is counted only in what the government gets out of us. And even then, like we don't all pay tax and excise on petrol, registration and GST. Now there's an example of eminent service to the people. READ MORE: Perhaps the award should have read "for eminent service to the wealthy people." Don't even get me started on the Brittany Higgins case and his failure to even recognise the gravity of the situation until his wife talked to him about it. This is the man who Council for the Order of Australia appointed the highest honour in the land. In my opinion, it's the one case where tradition should have been set aside. For eminent service to the people and Parliament of Australia, particularly as prime minister, to notable contributions to global engagement to leadership of the national COVID-19 response, to economic initiatives, and to national security enhancements, especially through leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS. These are the reasons why the Governor-General of Australia bestowed upon former PM, Scott Morrison, highest honour in the land - the Companion of the Order of Australia on the King's Birthday weekend. I don't know about you, but when I heard this, I had to go to the official website to confirm because frankly, I just couldn't believe it. Neither could my 16-year-old son. When I mentioned the award at dinner, his first response was "isn't he the idiot who crapped his pants outside McDonald's that time?" Not, "oh wasn't he the PM before Albo?" or even "was he the one you were writing so much about during COVID?" This is what the kids these days remember him for. Says it all, really. During the pandemic, he deceived the nation by secretly appointing himself to five - FIVE - ministries. The secrecy of these acts undermined democratic accountability and violated principles of responsible government. The Ministers of State Amendment Act 2023 was passed to prevent this from happening again. Does this smack of "eminent service to the people and Parliament"? On the topic of COVID, let's acknowledge his total failure to secure sufficient vaccine supplies early on which led to delays in distribution. Then, when he finally started to get his act together, his over-reliance on AstraZeneca despite the concerns about rare blood clot risks, led to hesitancy and confusion about the safety of vaccines. Unlike the other world leaders who personally lobbied Pfizer executives to secure Pfizer, Morrison chose not to and as such, our early access to the Pfizer doses was limited. Hardly a worthy contribution to global leadership. Then there was the public education campaign around the vaccine that failed to effectively communicate its benefits, and his "it's not a race" messaging, which added fuel to the confusion fire, resulting in misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiment. As a result of all this, we were literally left lagging behind other OECD nation's in our COVID response. While he did instigate JobKeeper, I found it incredible how JobKeeper overpayments to corporations went unchecked, giving them a choice to pay back the additional funds, but overpayments for JobSeeker? Phew - send out the debt notices! Talking of debt notices, the scandalous, harmful robodebt scheme was launched under his leadership when he was the social services minister, and he was the PM at the time of its very timely conclusion. He never took responsibility for it. Instead, he complained that he was a victim of "political lynching". In my opinion, this program represents the most shameful episode of Australia's political history. I was ashamed of my government then. I remain so. You know, maybe what won the award for him was the way he kindly and compassionately considered the very real needs of our most vulnerable Australians (note the sarcasm). His "you have to have a go to get a go" response to people struggling below the poverty line on Centrelink, demanding they pull themselves up by their bootstraps - despite them not having the money for said bootstraps - could conceivably be understood by the overprivileged elites as "good leadership". In reality, it's an entirely different story. Personally, it was when he divided the nation into "the taxed" and the "taxed nots" that had my blood truly boiling; like our worth as a person is counted only in what the government gets out of us. And even then, like we don't all pay tax and excise on petrol, registration and GST. Now there's an example of eminent service to the people. READ MORE: Perhaps the award should have read "for eminent service to the wealthy people." Don't even get me started on the Brittany Higgins case and his failure to even recognise the gravity of the situation until his wife talked to him about it. This is the man who Council for the Order of Australia appointed the highest honour in the land. In my opinion, it's the one case where tradition should have been set aside. For eminent service to the people and Parliament of Australia, particularly as prime minister, to notable contributions to global engagement to leadership of the national COVID-19 response, to economic initiatives, and to national security enhancements, especially through leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS. These are the reasons why the Governor-General of Australia bestowed upon former PM, Scott Morrison, highest honour in the land - the Companion of the Order of Australia on the King's Birthday weekend. I don't know about you, but when I heard this, I had to go to the official website to confirm because frankly, I just couldn't believe it. Neither could my 16-year-old son. When I mentioned the award at dinner, his first response was "isn't he the idiot who crapped his pants outside McDonald's that time?" Not, "oh wasn't he the PM before Albo?" or even "was he the one you were writing so much about during COVID?" This is what the kids these days remember him for. Says it all, really. During the pandemic, he deceived the nation by secretly appointing himself to five - FIVE - ministries. The secrecy of these acts undermined democratic accountability and violated principles of responsible government. The Ministers of State Amendment Act 2023 was passed to prevent this from happening again. Does this smack of "eminent service to the people and Parliament"? On the topic of COVID, let's acknowledge his total failure to secure sufficient vaccine supplies early on which led to delays in distribution. Then, when he finally started to get his act together, his over-reliance on AstraZeneca despite the concerns about rare blood clot risks, led to hesitancy and confusion about the safety of vaccines. Unlike the other world leaders who personally lobbied Pfizer executives to secure Pfizer, Morrison chose not to and as such, our early access to the Pfizer doses was limited. Hardly a worthy contribution to global leadership. Then there was the public education campaign around the vaccine that failed to effectively communicate its benefits, and his "it's not a race" messaging, which added fuel to the confusion fire, resulting in misinformation and anti-vaccine sentiment. As a result of all this, we were literally left lagging behind other OECD nation's in our COVID response. While he did instigate JobKeeper, I found it incredible how JobKeeper overpayments to corporations went unchecked, giving them a choice to pay back the additional funds, but overpayments for JobSeeker? Phew - send out the debt notices! Talking of debt notices, the scandalous, harmful robodebt scheme was launched under his leadership when he was the social services minister, and he was the PM at the time of its very timely conclusion. He never took responsibility for it. Instead, he complained that he was a victim of "political lynching". In my opinion, this program represents the most shameful episode of Australia's political history. I was ashamed of my government then. I remain so. You know, maybe what won the award for him was the way he kindly and compassionately considered the very real needs of our most vulnerable Australians (note the sarcasm). His "you have to have a go to get a go" response to people struggling below the poverty line on Centrelink, demanding they pull themselves up by their bootstraps - despite them not having the money for said bootstraps - could conceivably be understood by the overprivileged elites as "good leadership". In reality, it's an entirely different story. Personally, it was when he divided the nation into "the taxed" and the "taxed nots" that had my blood truly boiling; like our worth as a person is counted only in what the government gets out of us. And even then, like we don't all pay tax and excise on petrol, registration and GST. Now there's an example of eminent service to the people. READ MORE: Perhaps the award should have read "for eminent service to the wealthy people." Don't even get me started on the Brittany Higgins case and his failure to even recognise the gravity of the situation until his wife talked to him about it. This is the man who Council for the Order of Australia appointed the highest honour in the land. In my opinion, it's the one case where tradition should have been set aside.
The Age
10-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Scott Morrison honour exposes a system divorced from public sentiment
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. KING'S HONOURS The King's Birthday honour awards are rendered meaningless by Scott Morrison's inclusion, a decision that insults Australians (' Politicians, scientists and costume designer feature in King's awards ', 8/6). His legacy, marred by robo-debt's heartless assault on vulnerable citizens, leaving families shattered, alone disqualifies him. But it doesn't end there. His sluggish COVID response, driven by others, not conviction; his callous 'I don't hold a hose' remark during the bushfires; and his dismissive stance on gender issues reveal a so-called leader who tarnished Australia's values. Awarding Morrison cheapens these honours. It's a stinging betrayal of robo-debt victims and all who suffered under his policies. Honours should celebrate integrity and selflessness. This decision exposes a system divorced from public sentiment. Australians deserve better: honours that inspire pride, not ones that reopen wounds and glorify failure. Sue Barrett, Caulfield South Brightening lives The name of the honours may have changed from Queen to King but the same old selection criteria still exists with many receiving honours for doing their jobs. The reasons set out for Scott Morrison's award includes: 'leadership of the national COVID-19 response' and 'leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS', both up for debate as to whether there was any leadership shown and whether many decisions were the right ones. Let's be realistic, the award was for being prime minister. However, it was great to see awards for people such as those on the front page of The Age who have done extraordinary things for many years, outside their jobs, to 'brighten lives from beyond the spotlight'. Phil Mackenzie, Eaglemont His duty to lead Scott Morrison was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia but it was his duty as prime minister to take a leadership role in the COVID crisis, as with any crisis the country may experience. As for AUKUS, its worth is yet to be proven and indeed it may be very destructive in the future, both financially and its capabilities to keep us safe. By awarding him the highest honour only diminishes the whole system of awards, especially to those who are truly worthy. Judith Morrison, Nunawading Doubts about his achievements It would have been better if the award to Scott Morrison had read only 'For service to the people and parliament of Australia as prime minister'. His leadership of the COVID response was successful only because the states pushed him and his approach on the vaccines puzzled many. His leadership on AUKUS omits the breaking of the contract with France and the loss of international good behaviour it generated as well as doubts about the AUKUS deal itself. Robo-debt, his alienation of China and the dislike he received from people affected by the fires and floods don't rate a mention. He claimed the 2019 election result was a miracle but not that the 2022 election result was too. Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale Doing his job The award for Scott Morrison brings into question the very nature of the awards process. This is meant to be a criterion-based assessment process. The criteria includes that the 'outstanding achievement' should be 'above what might be expected through paid employment' – the former PM does not meet this criteria. Warren Prior, Williamstown Short memories I have vivid memories of both Daniel Andrews' and Gladys Berejiklian's relentless battle to cajole Morrison into action at the time. Morrison was also seen to be needlessly slow in co-ordinating the country's vaccine roll-out. Andrews has been repeatedly vilified for his and his team's exemplary actions in Victoria, which had some of the lowest fatality rates globally. I honestly wonder how far and how deep some people's memories run. Robert Boelen, Waratah Bay
Sydney Morning Herald
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Morrison ‘saved lives': Why former PM deserves highest honour in the land
Every Australian former prime minister since 1975 – except Paul Keating – has been offered and accepted the appointment to the Companion of the Order of Australia. However, reaction to Scott Morrison receiving the nation's highest honour has been mixed. Speaking to our deputy federal editor Nick Bonyhady on The Morning Edition podcast, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald's senior economics correspondent Shane Wright discusses the 830-name-strong 2025 King's Birthday honours list and why, despite some branding it 'the worst insult to all Australians', there is a case that the 30th prime minister of Australia deserves to be included on it. Click the player below to listen to the full episode, or read on for an edited extract of the conversation. Bonyhady: What's the reaction been like [to Scott Morrison's King's Birthday honour]? Wright: Well, a bit like the reaction to Scott Morrison in general. I think that'd be the best way to describe it. There are those who recognise that this is a recognition of just how hard the job is and the period in which he was prime minister. So remember, he gets elected in 2019 … he is in charge during COVID-19, which, by any stretch of any imagination, [was] one of the more telling and difficult periods for administrations around the world ... plus they've tacked on AUKUS and striking the deal with Britain and the United States for a large number of very expensive submarines right into the defence space. So that's what the recognition is. But the reaction is falling a bit on political lines, so former prime ministers don't often get much love, especially if they've been voted out of office ... you can see some of that is, 'Why the hell did ScoMo get this? It should be going to somebody more deserving.' But of course, you then have to ignore the fact that every prime minister has had recognition of them because ultimately, running the country for however long is almost the pinnacle of political life, of public life in this country. So that's a recognition of that. Bonyhady: You covered the ups and downs of his time in office, the JobKeeper payments, but also the scandals around robo-debt. On balance, do you think he deserves the award?
The Age
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Morrison ‘saved lives': Why former PM deserves highest honour in the land
Every Australian former prime minister since 1975 – except Paul Keating – has been offered and accepted the appointment to the Companion of the Order of Australia. However, reaction to Scott Morrison receiving the nation's highest honour has been mixed. Speaking to our deputy federal editor Nick Bonyhady on The Morning Edition podcast, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald's senior economics correspondent Shane Wright discusses the 830-name-strong 2025 King's Birthday honours list and why, despite some branding it 'the worst insult to all Australians', there is a case that the 30th prime minister of Australia deserves to be included on it. Click the player below to listen to the full episode, or read on for an edited extract of the conversation. Bonyhady: What's the reaction been like [to Scott Morrison's King's Birthday honour]? Wright: Well, a bit like the reaction to Scott Morrison in general. I think that'd be the best way to describe it. There are those who recognise that this is a recognition of just how hard the job is and the period in which he was prime minister. So remember, he gets elected in 2019 … he is in charge during COVID-19, which, by any stretch of any imagination, [was] one of the more telling and difficult periods for administrations around the world ... plus they've tacked on AUKUS and striking the deal with Britain and the United States for a large number of very expensive submarines right into the defence space. So that's what the recognition is. But the reaction is falling a bit on political lines, so former prime ministers don't often get much love, especially if they've been voted out of office ... you can see some of that is, 'Why the hell did ScoMo get this? It should be going to somebody more deserving.' But of course, you then have to ignore the fact that every prime minister has had recognition of them because ultimately, running the country for however long is almost the pinnacle of political life, of public life in this country. So that's a recognition of that. Bonyhady: You covered the ups and downs of his time in office, the JobKeeper payments, but also the scandals around robo-debt. On balance, do you think he deserves the award?
The Age
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Age
Top gong for Morrison devalues all King's Birthday honours
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. KING'S HONOURS The King's Birthday honour awards are rendered meaningless by Scott Morrison's inclusion, a decision that insults Australians (' Politicians, scientists and costume designer feature in King's awards ', 8/6). His legacy, marred by robo-debt's heartless assault on vulnerable citizens, leaving families shattered, alone disqualifies him. But it doesn't end there. His sluggish COVID response, driven by others, not conviction; his callous 'I don't hold a hose' remark during the bushfires; and his dismissive stance on gender issues reveal a so-called leader who tarnished Australia's values. Awarding Morrison cheapens these honours. It's a stinging betrayal of robo-debt victims and all who suffered under his policies. Honours should celebrate integrity and selflessness. This decision exposes a system divorced from public sentiment. Australians deserve better: honours that inspire pride, not ones that reopen wounds and glorify failure. Sue Barrett, Caulfield South Brightening lives The name of the honours may have changed from Queen to King but the same old selection criteria still exists with many receiving honours for doing their jobs. The reasons set out for Scott Morrison's award includes: 'leadership of the national COVID-19 response' and 'leadership of Australia's contribution to AUKUS', both up for debate as to whether there was any leadership shown and whether many decisions were the right ones. Let's be realistic, the award was for being prime minister. However, it was great to see awards for people such as those on the front page of The Age who have done extraordinary things for many years, outside their jobs, to 'brighten lives from beyond the spotlight'. Phil Mackenzie, Eaglemont His duty to lead Scott Morrison was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia but it was his duty as prime minister to take a leadership role in the COVID crisis, as with any crisis the country may experience. As for AUKUS, its worth is yet to be proven and indeed it may be very destructive in the future, both financially and its capabilities to keep us safe. By awarding him the highest honour only diminishes the whole system of awards, especially to those who are truly worthy. Judith Morrison, Nunawading Doubts about his achievements It would have been better if the award to Scott Morrison had read only 'For service to the people and parliament of Australia as prime minister'. His leadership of the COVID response was successful only because the states pushed him and his approach on the vaccines puzzled many. His leadership on AUKUS omits the breaking of the contract with France and the loss of international good behaviour it generated as well as doubts about the AUKUS deal itself. Robo-debt, his alienation of China and the dislike he received from people affected by the fires and floods don't rate a mention. He claimed the 2019 election result was a miracle but not that the 2022 election result was too. Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale Doing his job The award for Scott Morrison brings into question the very nature of the awards process. This is meant to be a criterion-based assessment process. The criteria includes that the 'outstanding achievement' should be 'above what might be expected through paid employment' – the former PM does not meet this criteria. Warren Prior, Williamstown Short memories I have vivid memories of both Daniel Andrews' and Gladys Berejiklian's relentless battle to cajole Morrison into action at the time. Morrison was also seen to be needlessly slow in co-ordinating the country's vaccine roll-out. Andrews has been repeatedly vilified for his and his team's exemplary actions in Victoria, which had some of the lowest fatality rates globally. I honestly wonder how far and how deep some people's memories run. Robert Boelen, Waratah Bay
