Scott Morrison is not worthy of awards or honours

In an open letter to the Governor-General, John Maycock implores the reconsideration of Scott Morrison for the country's highest honour.

DEAR GOVERNOR-GENERAL,

I am writing to you regarding the news that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison is to be awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia (AC). I believe that this is a terrible insult to the general Australian public, especially the people and families who were adversely affected by his actions.

Putting aside his pre-politics record, other than to mention his dubious behaviour at – and sacking from – Tourism Australia, Scott Morrison’s egregious behaviour is legion.

Morrison’s entry in the Federal political arena is marked by his racist character assassination of Michael Towke, his opponent for preselection (Towke originally won by 82 votes to Morrison’s eight). It destroyed Towke’s reputation, resulting in Towke’s disendorsement and the preselection of Morrison in his place.

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This also caused much mental stress and trauma for Towke and his family. As we will see, Morrison doesn’t care how many broken minds and bodies he leaves in his wake.

Indeed, when Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells reiterated in 2022 the issue of Morrison’s preselection, she suggested that he was an autocrat and a bully and not fit to be Prime Minister (a sentiment that was/is shared by many others).

In fact, former PM Malcolm Turnbull’s assessment of Morrison was that he could say utterly untrue things:

“He can look you dead in the eye and say something completely opposite to what he’s really thinking.”

Other Liberal members have said worse, but I won’t repeat here — suffice to say that Morrison is widely known as an unscrupulous liar and schemer.

Then there are the reports that, as Shadow Immigration Minister, Morrison suggested the Shadow Cabinet should exploit (foster?) concerns about Muslim immigration and the inability for Muslims to integrate — a person willing to sow hate and division in the community for political gain is not fit for an honours award.

Morrison’s dealings with asylum seekers are notorious, from the secrecy of his “on-water matters” to the deliberate, harsh, cruel and inhumane treatment of people who arrived by boat; denying proper medical care, for example, ostensibly to deter others from attempting the same journey.

I would also suggest that Morrison created the political and social climate that allowed former Opposition Leader Peter Dutton to persecute the Murugappan family from Biloela for four long years.

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Today the public atmosphere is finally free of the permeating toxic element that is Scott Morrison.

Again, Morrison sowed hate and division in the community to justify his actions, leaving many broken minds and bodies in his wake. And again, these are not the actions of a person fit for an honours award.

Then there is Morrison’s stint as Minister for Social Services where he oversaw the creation of what became known as “Robodebt” — an automated system targeting hundreds of thousands of the mostly poorest in the community with false debts created by an algorithm that was never going to be able to perform the way it was claimed.

The issuing of the false debts also resulted in several suicides and caused much mental and economic stress for innocent victims and their families — more broken minds and bodies.

Rather than recouping the billions of dollars Morrison originally claimed, the Government ended up paying $1.8 billion in settlement costs.

The Royal Commissioner found Morrison had allowed Cabinet to be misled when he was pushing for the implementation of the Robodebt scheme. She rejected parts of his evidence as untrue and it is believed that Morrison is one of the six persons in the Royal Commission sealed section.

And again, here Morrison ramped up vilification of welfare recipients, sowing hate and division, to justify the illegal money grab and again, these are not the actions of a person fit for an honours award.

Then there is the five ministries controversy where Morrison ignored proper protocols, hid what he had done from his own government and convinced the then Governor-General that it was Morrison’s right to take on the ministries in secret. He not only trashed government convention but also trashed the high office of the Governor-General.

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Indeed, this last example suggests that Morrison did not believe in the very political institution that he sought to lead, control and corrupt.

Though if any more proof is needed, then we need look no further than the talk he gave to the congregation at a church in Perth, where he told the gathered faithful not to trust in governments and not to trust the United Nations.

In other words, Morrison doesn’t trust the system put in place (the U.N.) to monitor and guide the “international rules based order” that he so often claimed to champion (while goading China) and he doesn’t believe in the political social structure that he no doubt hopes will bestow the Companion of the Order of Australia upon him.

And so, Your Excellency, I and many others do not believe that Scott Morrison is a fit and proper person to be receiving this or any other award. It would dishonour the spirit of the awards and sully the reputation of the more honourable people who have received similar awards.

I implore you, please, do not give this award to Scott Morrison.