Morrison government
In office
24 August 2018 – 23 May 2022
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Sir Peter Cosgrove (24 August 2018 – 1 July 2019) David Hurley (1 July 2019 – 1 July 2024)
Prime Minister	Scott Morrison
Deputy	Barnaby Joyce
Party	Liberal andNational (Coalition)
Status	Minority(October 2018 – May 2019; February 2021 – May 2022) Majority(August 2018 – October 2018; May 2019 – February 2021)[a]
Origin	Morrison winssecond 2018 Liberal leadership spill
Demise	Morrison loses2022 Australian federal election
Predecessor	Turnbull government
Successor	Albanese Government

This article is part of a series about Scott Morrison
Member forCook (2007–2024) Abbott government Abbott Ministry Turnbull government First Turnbull Ministry Second Turnbull Ministry 2018 Liberal Party leadership spills Prime Minister of Australia (2018–2022) First Ministry Second Ministry Tenure International trips "The quiet Australians" Black Summer Sports rorts affair COVID-19 pandemic Brereton Report Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations AUKUS 2022 eastern Australia floods Ministerial positions controversy Royal Commissions Banking Aged Care People with Disability Natural Disasters Military Suicide Elections 2019 2022
v t e

TheMorrison government was thefederal executive government of Australia, led byPrime MinisterScott Morrison of theLiberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn in by theGovernor-General of Australia.^[1] It was composed of members of theLiberal–NationalCoalition and succeeded theAbbott (2013–2015) andTurnbull (2015–2018) coalition governments in office, competing against theAustralian Labor Party as the majorOpposition party. Nationals LeaderMichael McCormack wasDeputy Prime Minister of Australia from the formation of the Morrison government until June 2021. He was replaced as Leader of the Nationals and Deputy Prime Minister byBarnaby Joyce.

Scott Morrison wasTreasurer in the Turnbull government and became Prime Minister following the resignation ofMalcolm Turnbull in 2018. The Coalition had been led to government at the2013 Election byTony Abbott, howeverMalcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister bychallenging Abbott in 2015. Turnbull then led the Coalition to a narrow victory at the2016 Election, and resigned in the midst of achallenge to his leadership byMinister for Home AffairsPeter Dutton in 2018. Turnbull then quit Parliament, plunging the Coalition into minority government following the2018 Wentworth by-election. Elected leader of the Liberals over Dutton in the 2018 spill, Morrison then restored the Coalition to majority government at the2019 Election.

With the commencement of the Morrison government,Josh Frydenberg replacedJulie Bishop as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and replaced Morrison asTreasurer in theFirst Morrison Ministry, whileMarise Payne took over from Bishop asForeign Minister. Frydenberg and Payne remained in their posts in theSecond Morrison Ministry, which was notable for includingKen Wyatt asMinister for Indigenous Australians – the firstAboriginal Australian to sit inFederal Cabinet – and seven women members, which was the largest number of women Cabinet members in Australian history.^[2][3]

Ineconomic affairs, after producing the lowest federal budget deficit in a decade, Treasurer Frydenberg predicted a small surplus in the2019 Federal Budget, however the outbreak of theCOVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic increase in government expenditure and a brief recession by September 2020. Pandemic management became a core focus of the Morrison government, which instigated tight border controls, convened aNational Cabinet to co-ordinate State and Territory government responses, and initiated a program of income support for business and workers. Two years into the pandemic, Australia had achieved one of the lowest death rates and highest vaccination rates in the world. In February 2022, the Morrison government announced a re-opening of borders to international tourist travel.^[4] By thefourth Frydenberg Budget in March 2022 ahead of the2022 Election, Australia’s unemployment rate was at 4% and projected to drop to 3.75%, its lowest figure in 50 years.^[5]

In trade and international affairs, the Morrison government concluded free trade agreements withIndonesia,the United Kingdom andIndia. In theIndo-Pacific region, Morrison launched the Pacific Step-Up initiative to increase engagement with Pacific Island nations, and revived theQuadrilateral Security Dialogue with Japan, India and United States. He also signed theAUKUS trilateral security pact with the United Kingdom and the United States to increase defence co-operation. The period was marked by a deterioration in bilateral relations with the increasingly autocraticXi Jinping government in China, with Australia calling for an independent inquiry into the origins ofCOVID-19 and China responding with trade sanctions.^[6] Following theRussian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Morrison committed Australian military, diplomatic and humanitarian aid to support Ukraine's efforts to repel the Russian attack.

Morrison called the2022 federal election on 10 April 2022, to be held on 21 May. After the majority of votes had been counted on election night, it became clear that the Coalition had no path to forming government. Morrison conceded the election, also announcing he would step down as leader of the Liberal Party. Labor leaderAnthony Albanese was sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia on 23 May 2022.

The Liberal-National Coalition won office under the leadership ofTony Abbott in the2013 Australian federal election in which Abbott defeated the secondRudd government and ended six years ofLabor government.^[7] Abbott had sought election on a platform promising to: restore stability after Labor infighting; reduce wasteful spending and restore Budget surpluses; abolish the Labor government's carbon and mining taxes; halt the seaborne people smuggling of asylum seekers; build infrastructure; prioritise indigenous affairs; and run a foreign policy that was "less Geneva, more Jakarta.".^[8][9][10] "^[11]

In office, theAbbott government removed the Rudd-Gillard eraResource Super Profits Tax and carbon tax.^[12][13] With Scott Morrison asMinister Immigration and Border Protection, the governmenthalted the people smuggling trade; concluded free trade agreements withChina,Japan andSouth Korea; established theNational Commission of Audit to advise on restoring the Budget to surplus; instituted theRoyal Commission into trade union governance and corruption; founded theMedical Research Future Fund; producedWhite Papers onDeveloping Northern Australia and theAgricultural Competitiveness; and promised a referendum to recognise indigenous Australians in the Constitution. TreasurerJoe Hockey delivered two Budgets, the first focused on expenditure reduction measures, but faced a hostile reception in the Senate and media. Partial deregulation of universities, and a $7 contribution to doctor visits were proposed, but blocked by the Senate. The second Budget emphasised stimulus for the small business sector.

Internal dissatisfaction with Abbott's style and policy agenda emerged within a section of the Liberal Party room and coalesced around old rivalMalcolm Turnbull, whom Abbott had replaced as Opposition Leader in 2009. In February 2015, the ABC reported that "tensions between the Prime Minister and the colleagues campaigning to oust him are heading to a showdown."^[14] Aspill called by two WA backbenchers failed to raise the numbers for a change in leadership, however leaking and backgrounding against Abbott continued, though polling for the Coalition began to improve.^[15][16][17]

In September 2015,Malcolm Turnbull ended speculation by launching a challenge against Abbott. Turnbull cited Newspoll results and "economic leadership" as reasons for mounting his challenge.^[18] on 14 September 2015, Malcolm Turnbull won aleadership ballot, 54 votes to 44, and theTurnbull government became the federal government of Australia. Turnbull appointed Scott Morrison as hisTreasurer in an expandedministry.^[19] The Turnbull government continued a number of Abbott government initiatives, maintaining Abbott's promise for aplebiscite onsame-sex marriage in Australia, and his carbon emissions targets.^[20][21] Unable to secure passage of Abbott's bill to re-establish an anti-corruption watchdog for the construction industry, Turnbull initiated adouble dissolution election.^[22] The election was held on 2 July,^[23] Under the slogan "jobs and growth," Turnbull then led the Coalition to the2016 Election in which their majority in the House of Representatives was reduced to one seat.^[24]

Turnbull's ousting of Abbott had divided the Liberal Party rank and file and tensions continued in the parliamentary Party.^[25][26][27] In April 2018, the government reached the 30-consecutive-Newspoll-losses benchmark Turnbull had used to unseat Abbott.^[28] The government suffered by-election losses in July 2018.^[29] Dissent from conservative MPs over issues such as energy prices grew during Turnbull's final months. On 21 August, ahead of his 39th consecutive Newspoll loss, Turnbull announced aleadership spill, which he narrowly won againstPeter Dutton. Turnbull resigned three days later after losing the confidence of his party room. Scott Morrison declared himself a candidate for leadership and won the resultant spill, defeating Dutton andJulie Bishop. He became Australia's 30th Prime Minister. After an eleven-year run as Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party,Julie Bishop garnered just 11 votes out of the 85-member party room, and quit her position as Foreign Minister to go to the backbench.^[30]

Dutton committed to serving in and supporting the Morrison government, while Turnbull and Bishop were disaffected by the results of the leadership challenge. A week after losing the leadership, Turnbull formally tendered his resignation from federal parliament.^[31] He became a trenchant critic of his successor Scott Morrison and backed independent candidates to replace Liberals in subsequent by-elections and elections.^[32] Bishop told aWomen's Weekly awards event in the month after the spill that it had prompted discussion on the "bullying, intimidation, harassment and coercion" by federal politicians and "unfair unequal treatment of women".^[33] She joined Turnbull in calling for "clarity" around Dutton's eligibility to sit in Parliament, and refused to say how she would vote in the event of a referral.^[34] Bishop announced she would quit politics and not re-contest her seat in a statement to parliament in February 2019.^[35]

In December 2018, the Liberal Party room voted for a change in Party rules regarding leadership spills, and announced that a sitting prime minister who has won an election could no longer be removed by the Party room unless there was a two-thirds majority calling for the change. Opposition Leaders could still be challenged with a simple majority. Morrison said the move was in response to public disgust at the repeated rolling of Prime Ministers over the preceding decade.^[36]

Turnbull's resignation necessitated the2018 Wentworth by-election.^[31] The Turnbull government had won the2016 federal election with a single seat majority in theHouse of Representatives (76 seats out of 150). Turnbull nevertheless refused to campaign for his successor Liberal candidateDave Sharma.^[37] The by-election was held on 20 October 2018, and independent candidateKerryn Phelps was elected, with a swing of almost twenty percent away from theLiberals.^[38] It was the first time since the inaugural1901 election that the seat had not been represented by the Liberals, its predecessors, or party defectors.^[39] One of Phelps' campaign promises was to bring more humane treatment of asylum seekers held onManus Island (in theManus Regional Processing Centre) andNauru (in theNauru Regional Processing Centre), which was partly brought to fruition with the passing of the"Medevac bill" early in 2019.^[40]

Turnbull's quitting of Parliament also contributed to the defection of two of the Coalition's MPs to thecrossbenches, which reduced the Coalition to a minority on the floor of Parliament. National Party MPKevin Hogan had threatened to move to the crossbench if Turnbull was ousted as Prime Minister. On 27 August 2018, three days after Morrison succeeded Turnbull as leader, Hogan confirmed that he would sit on the crossbench, while remaining a member of the National Party and providingconfidence and supply to the government.^[41]

The loss of Turnbull's seat together with the subsequent defection of the LiberalMember for ChisholmJulia Banks to the crossbench on 27 November, reduced the government's numbers to 73.^[42] Banks made the announcement while Morrison was announcing a timetable for Budget surplus in 2019. She told Parliament her former Party had "changed largely due to the actions of the reactionary and regressive right wing who talk about and to themselves rather than listening to the people."The Guardian reported that the move undercut Morrison's efforts to stabilise the government and project a plan for the next election.^[42] Banks promisedconfidence and supply to the government.^[42] She told Fairfax Media that she was prepared to refer Turnbull's challenger Peter Dutton to the High Court over his eligibility to sit in Parliament, a move that would further reduce the government's numbers on the floor of the House.^[43] Banks ran as an independent in the subsequent 2019 Election, but lost to the Liberal candidate. The seat of Wentworth also returned to the Liberals with the election of former diplomatDave Sharma.

Morrison was sworn in as prime minister on 24 August 2018, by the Governor-General, SirPeter Cosgrove, in a ceremony atGovernment House. The newly elected Deputy Leader of the Liberal PartyJosh Frydenberg was the only other minister sworn in, asTreasurer. Morrison told the press that his government would return stability and unity to the country. National Party Leader Michael McCormack continued as Deputy Prime Minister.^[44] On 26 August, Morrison announced that SenatorMarise Payne would succeed the resigningJulie Bishop asForeign Minister.^[45]Peter Dutton retained his job asHome Affairs Minister, but had his responsibilities split to separate out the Immigration portfolio, with that job going toDavid Coleman. Turnbull supporterChristopher Pyne replaced Senator Payne as Defence Minister and Steve Ciobo was selected for the Defence Industry role.Simon Birmingham took over Mr Ciobo's former job as Trade Minister.Melissa Price was promoted into Cabinet and as Environment Minister.Angus Taylor was given the Energy portfolio.Dan Tehan became Education Minister. Deposed Nationals leaderBarnaby Joyce, who had been previously ousted by Turnbull, was appointed as Special Envoy for Drought Assistance and Recovery.^[46] The Ministry was sworn in on 28 August 2018.^[47]

On 17 December 2018,Andrew Broad resigned over a sex scandal.^[48] On 19 January 2019,Kelly O'Dwyer, Minister for Women, Jobs and Industrial Relations, announced that she would not be contesting theupcoming election as her two children would be approaching primary school age and she wanted to give her and her husband the best opportunity for a third child.^[49] Within one week, Human Services MinisterMichael Keenan and Indigenous Affairs MinisterNigel Scullion also announced that they would not recontest their seats at the 2019 election, widely attributed to the low chances of the Morrison government being re-elected.^[50]

Morrison had been Treasurer in the Turnbull government, and was succeeded byJosh Frydenberg in the role. In September, Treasurer Frydenberg announced that the government would deliver a smaller budget deficit than forecast for 2017–18, and that the budget was on track to return to balance by 2019–20. TheFinal Budget Outcome deficit of $10.1 billion was $19.3bn smaller than predicted, and the smallest recorded since theGlobal Financial Crisis. The result had been assisted by larger tax intakes and less spending on social security than expected. The Treasurer credited the result to the Coalition's economic management with real spending growth down to its lowest level in half a century.^[51] In October 2018,The Economist described Australia as possessing "the world’s most successful economy".^[52]

The "tampon tax": theGoods and Services Tax applied to feminine hygiene products, will be removed as of 1 January 2019.^[53]

TheRoyal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry was handed down in February, with 76 recommendations. There were only five remaining sitting days in Parliament, so there is little time for a legislative response before the election.^[54] Labor has indicated that it intends to work with the crossbench to extend the sitting days for Parliament,^[55] however, Christopher Pyne, speaking for the government, has pointed out that these laws are complex and should not be rushed through.^[56]

Morrison said the government would "continue to consolidate the budget", but its priorities for spending included additional school and hospital funding, affordable medicines and the national disability insurance scheme.^[57] In November, Morrison and Frydenberg announced the2019 Federal Budget would be brought forward a month to 2 April. "We will be handing down a budget and it will be a surplus budget. It will be a budget which is the product of the years of hard work of our government," Morrison said.^[58][59]

TreasurerJosh Frydenberg handed down the budget in a speech to parliament on the night of 2 April. The budget forecast a smallsurplus of $7.1 billion in the upcoming financial year (2019–20), though it was technically in deficit as the existing financial year came to a close.^[60] The leading statements made were acash rebate targeted toward lower and middle-income earners, with the Coalition promising to double the low and middle income tax offset it offered workers in the previous year's budget, giving voters on incomes between $50,000 and $90,000 a rebate of $1,080, similar to theLabor Party's proposals.^[60] The budget was criticised by the opposition for proposing to flatten the tax rates of all income earners between $45,000-$200,000 to 30% in the long-term, though the Treasurer argued that doing so would provide an "incentive [for] people to stay in work, to work longer, to work more."^[61][62] The government also promised $100 billion infrastructure funding over the decade and offered one-off payments for nearly 4 million welfare recipients to cover the cost of energy prices, which Labor supported.^[63][64] Labor's budget reply differed from the government most notably with a $2.3 billion proposal to cover medical imaging, consultation and medicines' costs for cancer patients.^[65] Overall, Labor had approximately $200 billion more funding than the Coalition to utilise over the decade; as it proposed more revenue raising, including scaling backnegative gearing and abolishing cash refunds for excessfranking credits, policies which were vociferously opposed by the government.^[63]

Morrison shiftedMarise Payne from the Defence Portfolio to the role ofMinister for Foreign Affairs, following the resignation ofJulie Bishop from the role. He visitedJakarta for the Australia–Indonesia Business Forum and met with PresidentJoko Widodo on his first overseas visit as prime minister.^[66][67] The Morrison government and Indonesia announced the substantive conclusion of negotiations on the Indonesia -Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) on 31 August 2018.^[68]

Morrison has signalled that his government could accept New Zealand's offer to accept refugees detained by Australia on Manus and Nauru if they were subject to a lifetime ban from coming to Australia.^[69]

Due to theassassination of Jamal Khashoggi, the Australian government has pulled out of the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia.^[70]

During the Wentworth by-election campaign, and following the announcement by the United States that it would relocate its embassy in Israel fromTel Aviv toJerusalem, Morrison announced he was reviewing whether Australia's embassy inIsrael should move to Jerusalem.^[71] Indonesia responded by putting the free trade agreement on hold,^[72] though it was eventually signed in Jakarta in March 2019.^[73][74] In December 2018, Morrison announced Australia has recognised West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel but will not immediately move its embassy from Tel Aviv.^[75]

Ahead of the2018 APEC Forum in PNG, the Morrison government announced increased defence co-operation with Pacific nations including a plan to jointly develop a naval base onManus Island with Papua New Guinea and a "pivot to the Pacific" involving the establishment of a $2 billion infrastructure bank for the Pacific to be known as the Australian Infrastructure Financing Facility, to issue grants and long-term loans for projects such as telecommunications, energy, transport and water development. Morrison also pledged to open diplomatic missions inPalau, theMarshall Islands,French Polynesia,Niue and theCook Islands.^[76][77] The "pivot to the Pacific" has been read as a way of undermining Chinese influence in the region.^[78]

At the Pacific Islands Forum in August 2019 the 'Pivot to the Pacific' was severely undermined by Morrison's intransigence on the topic of climate change. In the face of an existential threat to those Morrison refers to as "family", Morrison refused to offer more than tokenism. The "very insulting and condescending" behaviour offered by Morrison^[79] comes as the Deputy PM tells an Australian business group that Pacific Islanders will survive "because many of their workers come here to pick our fruit".^[80]

TheIndonesia–Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA) was signed by the Trade MinisterSimon Birmingham in March 2019. Australia ratified the agreement in November 2019 (alongside CEPAs with Peru, Hong Kong and China)^[81] and Indonesia followed suit in February 2020, with its provisions coming into effect in April 2020.^[82][83] The agreement secured greater access for Australian agriculture and education into the Indonesian market. In an historic address to the Australian Parliament following the ratification of the agreement, Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo welcomed the pact and said that Australia is Indonesia's closest friend, while calling on the two democracies to battle against identity politics, improve human rights, foster greater tolerance and stop terrorism. Morrison said in reply "We now have a plan of action to take the next steps in our relationship — from trade and investment to defence, counter-terrorism, maritime security, ocean sustainability and education, to name only some — and even today we add energy and the future of fuel sources for our nations to this long list."^[84]

After taking office, Morrison appointedAngus Taylor as Minister for Energy, saying "I am going to be the Prime Minister for getting electricity prices down. Angus Taylor is the minister for getting electricity prices down and that is a core focus of my government..."^[85]

Morrison committed to remaining in theParis Agreement settled under the Abbott and Turnbull governments, but promised a greater focus on reduction of energy prices. He described coal as remaining "a key source of keeping electricity prices down and keeping the lights on, and I intend for it to stay there".^[86][87][88] The Morrison government did not commit to replacing the existing renewable energy target with anything when it expires in 2020, stating that it will not be needed to meet emissions reduction targets.^[89]

The government has implemented theAustralian Competition & Consumer Commission's review recommendations into electricity prices by asking energy retailers to introduce a default market offer for households and small businesses, which would be standard across all retailers.^[90] This is designed to assist consumers who do not regularly change their power provider.^[91]

Australian school students were inspired byGreta Thunberg tostrike for three days after 28 November,^[92] ignoring the call of their Prime minister Scott Morrison who said in the parliament that "what we want is more learning in schools and less activism".^[93]

According to the government's 2018 emissions projections report, Australia has already achieved its 2030 emissions reduction target of 26-28% less emissions than in 2005. The government expects Australia will exceed its 2030 target.^[94]

As of February, the Morrison government announced that it was taking its energy bill to the election, as it would likely be amended to prevent government funding of new coal-fired power stations.^[95]

Morrison has allocated $2bn over 10 years to the Abbott government-era Emissions Reduction Fund, renaming it the Climate Solutions Fund.^[96] A project that is expected to benefit from the Climate Solutions Fund is the Tasmanian Battery of the Nation hydro-electric project.^[97]

The government has endorsed theSnowy 2.0 hydro-electric project, a proposal of the Turnbull government.^[98]

Morrison changed the age at which Australians can receive the age pension back to 67,^[99] from an age of 70, which had been government policy since the2014 Australian federal budget.^[100] In September 2018, the base Newstart rate was raised by $2.20 per week,^[101] but further increases to Newstart have been ruled out by Morrison, who has stated that it is a "very expensive undertaking".^[57] The Liberal and Labor parties voted for a bill which would enforce a wait of four years before new migrants could receive social security payments.^[102]

In response to theRoyal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, Morrison delivered on 22 October 2018 aNational Apology Address in the Australian Parliament to victims of child sexual abuse on behalf of the Australian people, the parliament and his government. He also announced the establishment of a National Redress Scheme for victims of child sexual abuse; an Office of Child Safety within the Department of Social Services; and a National Centre of Excellence to raise awareness and understanding of the impacts of child sexual abuse, to deal with the stigma, to support help seeking and guide best practice for training and other services.^[103]

Morrison brought forward aged care funding by $90 million, mainly focusing on regional areas.^[104]

On 16 September 2018, Morrison revealed thata royal commission would be held into aged care facilities, focusing on the quality of care in residential, home and community aged care.^[105][106] On 5 April 2019, Morrison announced another commission, this time to examine violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation within the disability sector. The commission is headed by former Federal Court judge Ronald Sackville and will last for three years. Morrison was emotional at the announcement of the commission, paying tribute to his brother-in-law who hasmultiple sclerosis.^[107] The announcement was met with praise from Labor leaderBill Shorten, whose party had supported the idea in the past, as well as fromGreens senatorJordon Steele-John, who had spent the previous year agitating for the government to support the policy and had heckled the government on the floor of the House of Representatives earlier in the year when it rejected holding a vote on a commission.^[108] In relation to disability funding, the government announced price increases of up to 22 per cent forNDIS service providers, though it was criticised for a $1.6 billion under-spend on the scheme in the budget. Labor argued the under-spend was due to the government's desire for a surplus budget, though the government countered that by arguing no one who needed care would be neglected and that the scheme was responding to actual demand.^[109]

In response to the2018 Australian strawberry contamination, Morrison announced an increase in the maximum jail term for the federal offence relating to contaminating food from 10 to 15 years.^[110] However, when a woman was arrested for the crime, she was charged under the Queensland Criminal Code.^[111]

The method of funding non-government schools was changed from using census data to using parental tax information; to take effect in 2020.^[112] On 20 September, Morrison announced a $4.6 billion funding deal over 10 years starting from 2020 for Catholic and Independent schools as a peace deal with two non-government sectors, after they bitterly opposed the Coalition's 2017 school funding changes. The agreement was seen as controversial to some including Labor and the Australian Education Union, who cited the fact that it did nothing for public schools.^[113]

TheNational School Chaplaincy Programme, following the extension of its funding confirmed during the2018 federal budget, will be the subject of a new agreement between the states and the commonwealth, requiring complaints against chaplains to be centrally recorded.^[114]

SenatorNigel Scullion carried on as the Coalition'sMinister for Indigenous Affairs in the Morrison government, and in a conciliatory move by Morrison, the former Prime Minister Tony Abbott was appointed the Prime Minister's Special Envoy on Indigenous Affairs, with a brief to focus on school attendance and performance. After initial scepticism, Abbott accepted the role.^[115][116]

Remote education

Abbott presented his first report to Parliament as Special Envoy in December.^[117] He recommended increasing substantially the salary supplements and the retention bonuses for teachers in very remote areas; waiving HECS debt of longer term teachers in very remote schools; incentives for communities to adoptdebit card arrangements; an extension of the Remote School Attendance Strategy, with more local school buy-in and engagement; extension of the Good to Great Schools program that has reintroduced phonics and disciplined learning for further evaluation and emulation; and that the government should match the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation's private and philanthropic funding on an ongoing basis.^[118]

Australia Day

Morrison criticised Byron Shire Council for moving its citizenship ceremonies fromAustralia Day, rejecting calls to change the date of Australia Day and proposing a new national day to recognise Indigenous Australians.^[119]

In January 2019, the Morrison government made changes to the Australian Citizenship Ceremonies Code, requiring councils to hold the ceremonies on Australia Day or be stripped entirely of their rights to hold citizenship ceremonies.^[120][121] These changes were later overturned by the LaborAlbanese government in late 2022.

Uluru Statement and Indigenous voice to government

Morrison has rejected theUluru Statement from the Heart, characterising the recommended "Indigenous voice to Parliament" as a third chamber.^[122]

However, on 30 October 2019,Ken WyattAM, Minister for Indigenous Australians, announced the commencement of a "co-design process" aimed at providing anIndigenous voice to government. The Senior Advisory Group (SAG) is co-chaired by ProfessorTom CalmaAO, Chancellor of theUniversity of Canberra, and Professor DrMarcia Langton, Associate Provost at theUniversity of Melbourne, and comprises a total of 20 leaders and experts from across the country.^[123] There was some skepticism about the process from the beginning, with the criticism that it did not honour theUluru Statement from the Heart's plea to "walk with us in a movement of the Australian people for a better future".^[124] According toMichelle Grattan, "...it is notable that it is calling it a 'voice to government' rather than a 'voice to parliament' ". Morrison rejected the proposal for a voice to parliament to be put into theAustralian constitution; instead, the voice will be enshrined in legislation. The government also said it would run a referendum during its present term about recognising Indigenous people in the constitution "should a consensus be reached and should it be likely to succeed".^[125]

The government announced an inquiry into theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation, following the sacking of managing directorMichelle Guthrie and reports that Guthrie had resisted a call from ABC ChairJustin Milne to fire journalistEmma Alberici.^[126] Milne was replaced byIta Buttrose.^[127]

In December, the Morrison government proposed a national integrity commission framework.^[128] The previous August, Griffith University researchers had laid out a plan for a Commonwealth Integrity Commission,^[129] and Attorney-General Christian Porter had been working on adapting theAustralian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity into an anti-corruption watchdog in the Turnbull government.^[128] The framework has been criticised for its narrow remit and the decision not to allow public hearings, and not being allowed to take tip-offs, as well as the high burden of proof needed before an investigation can take place.^[130]

The Morrison government tabled an exposure draft in 2020,^[131] but insisted that Labor would have to support it before the government brought it to a vote. The CIC was not part of the Morrison government's agenda during the 2022 election campaign.^[132]

Algal blooms caused the death of over 10,000 fish in theDarling River just before Christmas 2018.^[133] A secondfish kill event happened in January, near theMenindee Lakes, which are a critical breeding ground for fish throughout the Murray-Darling.^[134] A report by theProductivity Commission was released in January 2019 that said that theMurray-Darling Basin Authority should be broken up.^[135] A third fish kill event occurred at the Menindee Lakes in late January. NSW PremierGladys Berejiklian attributed the fish kills to the weather.^[136]

During the 2018–2019 summer season, there were alsobushfires in Tasmania's heritage-listed areas and the2019 Townsville flood.Melissa Price, the Minister for the Environment, was criticised as being absent from announcements made by Morrison, McCormack andDavid Littleproud on these events.^[137]

As Morrison took office, much of eastern Australia was suffering severe drought. In a politically conciliatory move, he appointed former National Leader Barnaby Joyce as a Special Envoy for drought assistance and recovery.^[138][139] The cost of the special envoyship was $675,000 in total expenses. Joyce produced no reports as a result of his role, saying that he had texted the Prime Minister. Freedom of information requests for these texts have been denied by the PMO.^[140]

In October 2018, Morrison announced a drought assistance package, the Drought Future Fund, of $5 billion. The Drought Future Fund is intended to operate similarly to the Medical Futures Fund. However, the Drought Future Fund drew criticism from disability advocates, as $3.9 billion of the package's funding was drawn from money earmarked for theNational Disability Insurance Scheme.^[141]

The Morrison government announced an inquiry into land-clearing laws following theQueensland bushfires. TheQueensland Government had introduced laws against broad-scale land-clearing in May 2018, and David Littleproud said "If Queensland’s laws are locking up agriculture’s potential and making fires worse, we need to know about it".^[142]

On 12 February 2019, the Morrison government suffered the first substantive defeat on the floor of the House of Representatives since 1929, after the Labor Party and several cross-benchers supported amendments to theHome Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2018 (theHome Affairs Bill) proposed by the Senate. The proposed amendments would give greater weight to medical opinion in allowing themedical evacuation of asylum seekers to Australia fromNauru andManus Island. Further amendments followed negotiations between the Opposition and the House of Reps cross-bench members, before the Senate considered and agreed to the amendments to its original amendments on the following day, 13 February.^[143] The amended legislation, which affected three laws, being theMigration Act 1958, theCustoms Act 1901 and thePassenger Movement Charge Collection Act 1978,^[144] became known as "the Medevac Bill", before being passed in the House by 75 votes to 74 and passed in the Senate by 36 votes to 34.^{[145][146][147]}

In response to the bill passing into law, Morrison announced the re-opening of the Christmas Island detention centre,^[148] intimating that this change in the law would provide the signal that people smugglers to begin operating again. In the days following, Dutton said that because of this change in the law, Australians on waiting lists for hospital treatment and those already in public housing were going to be adversely affected.^[149] This was seen byRobert Manne as a turning point in Labor Party policy, after having had almost identical asylum seeker policies as the Coalition for the past five years. He also pointed out the numerous obstacles any potential people-smuggler or asylum seeker would have to face, because the deterrent aspects of the policy were still firmly in place, and the new legislation applied only to the approximately 1,000 people still on Nauru and Manus (of whom only a relatively small number will be allowed to access the urgent medical attention they need).^[149]

However, the 2018 ruling was overturned in December 2019, after 37 votes to 35 supported the government's move to repeal the law.^[150]

Just prior to the federal election, Melissa Price approved theYeelirrie uranium mine north of Kalgoorlie.Traditional owners challenged the former Barnett government's approval for the mine in court.^[151]

In November, reports emerged that the "moderate faction" of the NSW Liberal Party had relegated Liberal SenatorJim Molan to an "unwinnable" fourth position on the NSW Senate ticket, and were moving to dump conservative NSW MPCraig Kelly – a three term MP with a 9% margin in his electorate.^[152][153]The Australian's foreign editorGreg Sheridan called the move against Molan an act of "self-mutilation" against "the most capable, the best-known and the most impressive backbench senator in Australia".^[154] Journalist Michelle Grattan described Kelly as "all over the place in his comments", comparing media reports of Kelly's comments to branch members as reported by the ABC, and an interview with Sky News.^[155] Kelly indicated he might run as an independent if the Party dis-endorsed him,^{[156][157][158]} and Kent Johns was offered a $350,000 six-month job to withdraw from the preselection race by the president of Morrison's federal electoral conference.^[159]

When Morrison moved to head off the factional dispute over Kelly and others by using state executive powers to automatically endorse sitting members, Turnbull launched a failed intervention to prevent the outcome, hoping Kelly, a Dutton backer, would be ousted.^[160] Turnbull had approved a similar move by the Victorian state executive in July.^[161] He had also previously personally endorsed Kelly himself, but dismissed comparisons to his own intervention to save Kelly in 2016, citing recent campaigns in NSW to allow grassroots members more say in pre-selection contests as the reason for his intervention against Kelly this time.^[160]

When news of Turnbull lobbying against Kelly became public, Liberal MPTrent Zimmerman said that Turnbull's intervention "meant that it became an issue about the Prime Minister's authority, and that swung the dial in favour of acceding to the request the Prime Minister had made of the Executive".^[161] Moderate members of the NSW branch agreed to abstain from a vote, effectively allowing Kelly and other sitting members such asJason Falinski,John Alexander andLucy Wicks to be re-selected.^[157]

JournalistsMichelle Grattan andPatricia Karvelas criticised the intervention for Kelly. Grattan wrote there had been no intervention in favour of moderate female candidateJane Prentice, who had been an assistant minister.^[162] Karvelas wrote that it was extraordinary the party would intervene to "save a bloke" when "women MPs like Jane Prentice and Ann Sudmalis are not afforded the same intervention to stay on in Parliament when faced with preselection challenges."^[163] Zimmerman dismissed the comparison in an interview with Karvelas on ABC Radio, saying Sudmalis had quit, while Prentice's preselection had occurred prior to the instability occasioned by the departure of Turnbull.^[161] Despite being expected to win preselection, and being asked to remain by Morrison, Sudmalis had quit as a candidate for her marginal electorate following the removal of Turnbull as leader, citing grievances with the NSW division of the Party.^[164]

Morrison called the election for 18 May 2019, the last date on which a concurrent election for both theSenate andHouse of Representatives could occur. The government was widely anticipated to lose the vote, as almost all public polling conducted before and during the campaign suggested the Labor Party was on track to win a narrow majority.^[165] The government's focus during the election was on providingincome tax cuts for Australians in all tax brackets. Though both major parties policies on income tax cuts was similar in the short term, in the long term the Coalition sought to rise the top income threshold for the 19, 32.5 and 37 per cent tax brackets from July 2022, before eliminating the 37 per cent bracket in July 2024, which Labor considered fiscally irresponsible.^[166] The government also strongly opposed Labor's proposals to abolish cash refunds for franking credit recipients and negative gearing allowances for new properties.^[167]

The Coalition won 77 seats at the election and won 51.5% of thetwo-party preferred vote. Morrison credited the victory to voters he called "the quiet Australians".

In its second term of office, the Morrison government initially continued the Coalition's program of tax cuts and Budget deficit reduction, however the arrival of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Australia from early 2020 led to a dramatic increase in government expenditure and a brief recession by September 2020. Thesecond Frydenberg Budget was delayed until October 2020, with the global economy facing its greatest crisis since theGreat Depression.^[168][169] Two years into the pandemic, the economy was recovering strongly. By December 2021, the economy was 3.4 per cent bigger than it had been before the commencement of the pandemic, and unemployment was at 4.2%, which was lower than it had been prior to the pandemic.^[170] During the period, the Morrison government concluded free trade agreements withIndonesia,the United Kingdom andIndia. These followed on from theJapan,South Korea andChina free trade agreements negotiated by the Coalition during the term of theAbbott government.

The government's income tax cut election commitments were legislated in the form of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Relief So Working Australians Keep More Of Their Money) Bill 2019.^[171] In total the legislation provided $158 billion in income tax cuts. Despite opposingStage 3 of the legislation (set to come into effect after 2022) which flattened the tax rate to 30% for all workers earning between $45,000 and $200,000, the Labor Party voted in favour and only theGreens voted against the bill.^[172]

On 2 September 2020, Australia was declared to be officially in a recession as GDP fell 7 per cent in June, the first time since the early 1990s.^{[173][174][175]} However, by December 2020 Australia was out of the recession after recording a GDP growth rate of 3.3% in the September quarter.^[176] As part of the Coronavirus-recession, Frydenberg attempted to wind back Rudd-era reforms to responsible lending obligations.^[177]

The Morrison government continued the Australian policy of deporting non-citizens who had committed crimes under Section 501 of theMigration Act 1958, which was enacted by theAbbott government in December 2014.New Zealanders residing in Australia were particularly affected by the policy; with 1,300 having been repatriated to New Zealand by July 2018. Due to the closebilateral relations between the two countries, New Zealanders in Australia enjoy special work and residency rights.^[178][179] In response toPrime MinisterJacinda Ardern's criticism that the deportation policy was having a "corrosive" effect on bilateral relations, Morrison defended the policy on law and order grounds.^[180][181]

In February 2021, Morrison defended his government's decision to revoke the citizenship of dual Australian–New Zealand citizenSuhayra Aden, who had become anISISbride. Ardern had criticised the decision, accusing Australia of abandoning its citizens.^[182][183] Following a phone conversation, the two Prime Ministers agreed to work together to resolve Aden's situation.^[184] In August 2021, Aden and her children were repatriated to New Zealand.^[185][186]

Despite disagreements on immigration issues, Australia and New Zealand have collaborated on other international issues. In December 2020,Wellington sided with Canberra during a dispute with China over a controversial social media post byChinese Foreign Ministry spokespersonZhao Lijian accusing Australia of committing war crimes in Afghanistan in response to theBrereton Report.^[187][188] In late May 2021, Morrison and Ardern issued a joint statement inQueenstown affirming bilateral cooperation on the issues of COVID-19, bilateral relations, security issues in the Indo-Pacific such as theSouth China Sea dispute, and human rights in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.^[189][190] In March 2022, Wellington also supported Canberra's concerns about a planned security pact between China and the Solomon Islands.^[191]

In late March 2022,Home Affairs MinisterKaren Andrews andNew Zealand Immigration MinisterKris Faafoi announced that Australia had accepted a longstanding New Zealand offer to accept 150 refugees a year from theNauru Regional Processing Centre or asylum seekers temporarily in Australia for "processing." While Morrison's Labor predecessorJulia Gillard and her New Zealand counterpartJohn Key had initially reached the refugee resettlement deal in 2012, subsequent Liberal governments had reneged on New Zealand's offer due to concerns that it would encourage more asylum seekers to use New Zealand as a backdoor for immigrating to Australia.^[192][193]

TheBrereton Report into war crimes allegedly committed by the Australian Defence Force (ADF) during the War in Afghanistan between 2005 and 2016 delivered its final report on 6 November 2020. The redacted version was released publicly on 19 November 2020. The report found evidence of 39 murders of civilians and prisoners by (or at the instruction of) members of theAustralian special forces, which were subsequently covered up by ADF personnel. The Morrison government established a new Office of the Special Investigator to investigate further criminal conduct and recommend prosecution of individuals involved. In December 2020, Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton appointed former Judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Mark Weinberg as the Special Investigator. The Department of Defence released a plan to respond to the findings of the Brereton Report on 30 July 2021.

During the2021 evacuation of Afghanistan in August 2021, the Morrison government deployed 250 Australian soldiers and threeRoyal Australian Air Force aircraft to aid in evacuations.^[194] Morrison, Defence Minister Dutton and Foreign Minister Payne also called on the Taliban to "cease all violence against civilians and adhere to international humanitarian law and the human rights all Afghans are entitled to expect, in particular women and girls".^[195]

By 24 August, Morrison confirmed that Australian and New Zealand forces had evacuated more than 650 people fromHamid Karzai International Airport in five flights.^[196] In addition, Australian forces also assisted with the evacuation of six FijianUnited Nations workers.^[197]

The Morrison government embraced theQuadrilateral Security Dialogue between the Australia, India, Japan and the United States as a key pillar of itsIndo-Pacific strategy. On 24 September 2021, US PresidentJoe Biden hosted the first in-person Quad Leaders’ Summit with Prime Minister Morrison, Indian Prime Minister Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Suga in Washington. The leaders announced further initiatives on COVID-19 vaccines, technology and climate change, and launched Quad cooperation on clean energy supply chains, infrastructure, cyber, outer space, and cultivating next-generation STEM talent.^[198] The group is also widely perceived as a democratic counterbalance to the rise of authoritarian China. Outlining his vision for the organisation, Morrison said ahead of the meeting: "We are liberal democracies, that believe in a world order than favours freedom and we believe in a free and open Indo-Pacific. Because we know that's what delivers a strong, stable and prosperous region. The Quad is about demonstrating how democracies like ours... can get things done."^[199]

In September 2021 ahead of the Quad Leaders meeting in Washington, Morrison announced theAUKUS security pact between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United Statesin a joint virtual press conference with US PresidentJoe Biden, UK Prime MinisterBoris Johnson. As part of the pact, the United States and Britain will share defence technologies with Australia, including nuclear submarine technology for the first time. The agreement formed the most significant security arrangement between the three nations since World War Two, and came in the context of rapidly expanding naval and military spending by Communist China.^[200] As part of the deal, Australia scrapped a $90 billion submarine contract with a French State owned Naval company signed in 2016. French PresidentEmmanuel Macron reacted angrily to the announcement, publicly accused Morrison of lying, and recalled France's ambassadors toAustralia and the United States, as well as Malaysia and Indonesia.^{[201][202][203]} Macron's accusation was later said to have caused an avalanche of people disparaging Morrison's character, thought to have been a factor in the 2022 election loss.^[204] Morrison later said that the possibility of Australia losing all its submarine deals with no submarines as a result was the most stressful part of his prime ministership.^[205]

In December 2021, the Morrison government formally signed theAustralia–United Kingdom Free Trade Agreement. The deal reduced restrictions on Australians to live and work in Britain, and will eliminate or phase out tariffs on a large range of products, including lamb, beef, sugar and dairy. The agreement was the first reached by Britain since its departure from theEuropean Union, which had created barriers to trade between the two nations. The Government called it "the most comprehensive and ambitious free trade agreement that Australia has concluded, other than with New Zealand..."^[206]

TheCounter-Terrorism (Temporary Exclusion Orders) Act 2019 and related legislation passed the parliament on 25 July 2019. The legislation gives theMinister for Home Affairs the power to issue an order barring an Australian citizen over the age of 14 from being able to enter Australian sovereign territory. ATemporary Exclusion Order can only be issued when the Minister orASIO (Australia's foreign intelligence agency) reasonably suspects that the person is likely to commit or enable an act of terrorism in Australia, and can last for a maximum of two years.^[207] All Temporary Exclusion Orders must be submitted for review to a reviewing authority (an Attorney-General-appointment former Justice), and can be revoked by the reviewing authority for any one of nine reasons. The government controversially rejected the amendments suggested by theParliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, which were supported by the opposition parties.^[207][208]

The Morrison government denounced the February 2022invasion of Ukraine by the Russian dictatorVladimir Putin. Morrison told the nation on February 24 that the Russian government had launched a "brutal" and "unprovoked" invasion of Ukraine, and announced the imposition of sanctions on Russian interests.^[209] The Abbott government had previously taken a strong stance against Putin during the Russia'sinvasion of Crimea andincursions into Eastern Ukraine, as well as the shooting down ofMalaysia Airlines Flight 17.^[210]

In the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion, Australia offered medical supplies, financial support and non-lethal military equipment to assist Ukraine.^[211] Morrison criticised China for not condemning the invasion, and accused the Chinese government of "throwing a lifeline" to Putin by lifting restrictions on trade with Russia.^[212]

In the weeks following the invasion, Australia committed $116 million in military aid to support the Ukrainian war effort. Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Australian Parliament on 31 March. Morrison called Zelensky a "Lion of Democracy" and told him ahead of his Parliamentary address: "Yes, you have our prayers, but you also have our weapons [and] our military aid. We stand with you, Mr President, and we do not stand with thewar criminal of Moscow."^[213] Zelensky thanked Australia for its support, and requested Australian-designedBushmaster armoured vehicles be sent to Ukraine. Morrison accepted the request.^[214]

In response to the2021 Solomon Islands unrest, the Morrison government dispatched personnel from theAustralian Federal Police andAustralian Defence Force. This was done at the request ofPrime MinisterManasseh Sogavare, who invoked theAustralia–Solomon Islands Bilateral Security Treaty.^[215] The Morrison government stated that this deployment was to support theRoyal Solomon Islands Police Force's efforts to main order and protect vital infrastructure in the island nation.^{[216][217][218]}

In late March 2022, Foreign MinisterMarise Payne and Defence MinisterPeter Dutton expressed opposition to a draft security pact between China and the Solomon Islands that would allow Beijing to deploy military forces in the country and establish a military base.^[219][220] In response to Canberra's criticism, Sogavare defended the security pact with China, criticising the leaking of the document and objecting to the Australian media's coverage of the security pact.^[221] In addition, the Chinese government defended the bilateral pact and rejected Australian criticism that Beijing was coercing the Solomon Islands.^[222]

Australia and India launched negotiations for theAustralia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (AI-CECA) in May 2011. Negotiations were suspended in 2015, but were revived in 2020 by Prime Ministers Morrison andNarendra Modi. On 2 April 2022, An interim agreement was signed by Trade MinisterDan Tehan and his Indian counterpartPiyush Goyal.^[223] "India and Australia are natural partners. Like two brothers, both nations supported each other during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our relationship rests on the pillars of trust and reliability", Minister Goyal said.^[224]

In April 2014, theAbbott government announced approval for theWestern Sydney Airport, a second airport for the city atBadgerys Creek, 50 kilometres (31 mi) west ofSydney's CBD.^[225] In November 2021, Prime Minister Morrison said the Coalition government had invested over $14 billion to the project, creating 11,000 jobs. With terminal construction commencing, Morrison said the project was already 25 per cent complete "as a result of a great partnership, a partnership between the federal Liberals and Nationals and the state Liberals and Nationals working closely to secure Australia’s economic future and to secure the success of Western Sydney."^[226]

In 2017, theTurnbull government announced plans forSnowy 2.0, a $2bn construction project to increase the capacity ofSnowy Hydro by 50% through 'pumped hydro' technology.^[227] Following extensive environmental and feasibility study, the Morrison government announced Federal approval for implementation of the project in June 2020.^[228] Unveiling a tunnel boring machine for Snowy 2.0 in December 2021, Morrison said: "Snowy 2.0 is building on the proud legacy of the first Snowy scheme, using local ingenuity to deliver landmark new infrastructure that will benefit Australia and the national electricity market for decades to come."^[229]

The Morrison government's second term commenced with the historic appointment ofKen Wyatt asMinister for Indigenous Australians in theSecond Morrison Ministry. Wyatt became the firstAboriginal person to sit in Cabinet and hold the indigenous affairs portfolio.^[2]

On the eve ofAustralia Day, 2022, the Morrison government announced that it had transferred theAboriginal flag's copyright to the Commonwealth. Prime Minister Morrison said the flag had been "freed" for all Australians to use without asking for permission or the need to pay someone. Copyright was originally held by the original designerHarold Thomas, however non-Indigenous company WAM Clothing had bought exclusive rights to the flag in November 2018.^[230]

The dispute between professional rugby playerIsrael Folau andRugby Australia was a major story during the federal election campaign.^[231] In the previous parliament, the two major parties had been unable to agree on legislation which would have removed the right of religious schools to expelLGBT students and sack homosexual teachers.^[232][233] Amidst intense pressure from conservative MPs, the government in August 2019 released a draft bill focusing onreligious freedom. The draft legislation included provisions preventing employers from limiting the religious expression of workers in their private capacity (unless the business can prove it is a "reasonable" limitation and necessary to avoid unjustifiable financial hardship) and explicitly overrides a Tasmanian anti-discrimination law, which prohibits conduct which "offends, humiliates, intimidates, insults or ridicules" based on protected grounds including gender, race, age, sexual orientation, disability and relationship status.^[234] The government had promised to introduce the bill to the parliament before the end of 2019 but objections from conservative religious groups andLGBTIQ equality advocates forced the government to delay and re-draft the bill.^[235] In March 2020 the government dropped draft legislation to protect gay students and teachers from being expelled or sacked from religious schools.^[236] In November 2021 the Cabinet signed off on a revised religious freedoms bill, that included a "statements of belief" protection, meaning such statements could not be considered discriminatory so long as they don't threaten, intimidate, harass or vilify a person or would be considered malicious to a "reasonable person".^[237] The statement of beliefs clause would override any countervailing state or territory laws. The bill retained a clause that allows faith-based institutions, such as religious schools and hospitals, to positively discriminate against people who do not share or practice their faith.^[238] These institutions would be required to have a publicly available policy that clearly explained how those religious views would be enforced.^[237]

The so-called "Folau clause", which would have protected someone from being sacked for expressing any religious belief, was dropped.^[239][237] Morrison introduced theReligious Discrimination Bill 2021 to the House of Representatives on 25 November 2021.^[240]

In early February, Morrison confirmed that he would seek support from the Liberal Party to amend theSex Discrimination Act 1984 to scrap a clause allowing religious schools to discriminate against same-sex and gender diverse students. His announcement came in response toCitipointe Christian College's unsuccessful attempt to get families to sign an anti-gay and anti-trans enrolment contract. Morrison had earlier introduced religious discrimination legislation into the Australian Parliament protecting certain expressions of religious expression and overrode state laws limiting when religious schools can give preferentially employment to staff of the same faith. Morrison's plan to amend the Sex Discrimination Act drew opposition from theAustralian Christian Lobby andChristian Schools Australia, which threatened to withdraw their support for Morrison's religious discrimination legislation. The national LGBT advocation organisationEquality Australia welcomed Morrison's commitment to amend the Sex Discrimination Act but called for the proposed religious discrimination legislation to be scrapped.^[241][242]

Following an all-night marathon sitting, the government'sReligious Discrimination Bill 2022 passed its third reading in the House of Representatives, despite five Liberal MPs voting with the Labor Party to pass amendments to the Sex Discrimination Act banning religious schools from discriminating against students on gender and sexuality grounds following a failed attempt by the government to defeat its own legislation. This amended legislation was referred to the Senate, where the government chose to remove the bill from consideration until after the 2022 election.^{[243][244][245][246]}

In Late 2021 the government had plans for aVoter ID Law, the electoral committee had recommended it after the 2013, 2016 and 2019 elections. Under the proposed voter integrity bill, a voter unable to produce ID can still vote if their identity can be verified by another voter, or by casting a declaration vote, which requires further details such as date of birth and a signature. One Nation leader,Pauline Hanson, has claimed credit for the Coalition's voter integrity bill, saying she made voter identification a condition for her support.^[247][248] The Labor party and the Greens were opposed to the Voter ID bill, forcing the government to approach the remaining crossbench senators – Griff Stirling, Rex Patrick and Jacqui Lambie – to try and pass the bill. After Senator Patrick came out against the Bill, calling it "a solution looking for a problem"^[249] and Senator Lambie announced her intention to vote against the bill siting more time was required to consider the bill, the government announced that they would defer the issue until after the election.^[250][251]

Also The government had In August 2021, theElectoral Legislation Amendment (Party Registration Integrity) Bill 2021 legislation which passed. The bill that made the rules surrounding theregistration of political parties stricter. The membership requirements for a party was increased from 500 to 1500, and parties could not have names that were too similar to political parties registered before them.^[252] The tightening of party registration rules was reportedly due to an increase of parties on the Senate ballot, which resulted in the requirement of magnifying sheets for some voters to read the ballot, and a perception that voters would be misled by names of some minor parties.^[252]

The government introduced legislation that would tighten the rules around the behaviours ofunions and their officials. The legislation, named theEnsuring Integrity Bill, would allow automatic disqualifications of "registered organisations" and grant theFederal Court the power to prevent officials from holding office in certain circumstances and broaden the court's power to order remedial action with respect to union disputes and governance.^[253] Trade union groups, Labor and the Greens opposed the bill, saying it was "contrary to international law and Australia’s commitments" and "hostile to the interests of working people". Industry groups and theBusiness Council of Australia argued the bill would "raise standards of conduct in the system" and would enforce penalties against "recalcitrant organisations".^[253]

The legislation passed the House of Representatives where the government had a majority, though failed to pass the Senate in late November 2019, after the third reading was deadlocked at 34-34 votes.^[254] The votes of crossbench SenatorsJacqui Lambie andPauline Hanson were crucial to the outcome, with the government having brought the legislation to a vote under the impression Hanson and herOne Nation party colleague would support the bill. The government responded by refusing to rule out the possibility of bringing back the legislation at a later date if it felt it could command newfound support in the Senate.^[254]

The2019–20 Australian bushfire season followed a long drought and witnessed one of the most prolonged and severe bushfire emergencies in Australian history. Fires commenced in Queensland and New South Wales in September 2019.^[255] While touring bushfire hit communities in Queensland on 13 September, Morrison announced that people affected by the fires would be eligible for additional financial assistance of up to 13 weeks of support payments equivalent to the maximum rate of the Newstart Allowance.^[256] By November, fires had ignited in all states, and the severity of the fires worsened through December. On 11 December the Morrison government committed an $11 million grant to the National Aerial Firefighting Centre (NAFC), which coordinates the air fleet of federal, state and territory governments.^[257] On 4 January, the Prime Minister confirmed that the grant would become a permanent annual increase, and committed $20m to lease four extra large air tankers to combat the fires.^[258]

On Christmas Eve 2019 the government granted public service volunteer firefighters an extra four weeks paid leave, and committed up to $6000 for volunteers from the private sector on 26 December.^[255] The government also announced on 26 December an additional deployment ofAustralian Defence Force (ADF) assistance, with specialist defence personnel being sent to advise NSW fire incident controllers at the 14 control centres around the state, to free up ADF resources such as bulldozers, bulk water carriers and troops for firefighting use. The fresh deployment joined ADF personnel already providing helicopter search and rescue, transport, accommodation, meals and refuelling to the firefighting effort.^[259] On 4 January the government announced the call up of an additional 3000 Army reservists to help with bushfire recovery efforts, along with the opening of defence force bases for emergency short-term accommodation, and the deployment of defence aircraft to assist in firefighting andHMAS Adelaide, to sit off the coast should it be required to help with evacuations.^[260] On 9 January Morrison committed $2 billion to a national bushfire recovery fund.^[255]

The extent of the bushfires led to controversy over the federal response to the fires and its policies on reducing or adapting toclimate change, after ministers initially downplayed the severity of the crisis.^[261] On 20 December Morrison cut short a family holiday to Hawaii after four days, amid an outcry that he had left the country during a crisis.^[255][262]

The"sports rorts" affair led to the resignation ofBridget McKenzie from the cabinet. The subsequent election of a new deputy leader of the National Party turned into the2020 National Party of Australia leadership spill whenBarnaby Joyce unsuccessfully challenged for the leadership.^{[citation needed]} McKenzie was reappointed to the cabinet 17 months later.

A report by Phil Gaetjens, the Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet and Morrison's former chief-of-staff, found that the allocation of grants was not politically motivated, but that McKenzie had breached ministerial standards by allocating a grant to a gun club which she was a member of. The Gaetjens report was not released, with Senate leader Mathias Cormann claiming public interest immunity.^[263] Morrison maintained at this time that the grants program was not politically motivated, and that all projects that were funded were eligible,^[264] disputing the Auditor-General's report, which found that 43% of projects funded were ineligible, and that the grants program disproportionately favoured marginal and target seats.^[265] It was later found that the offices of Bridget McKenzie and Scott Morrison exchanged 136 emails concerning the sports grants,^[266] and McKenzie breached caretaker convention to make changes to the list of projects to be funded after the election was called, in at least one instance at the direction of the Prime Minister's Office.^[267] Morrison denies involvement.^{[citation needed]}

This section mayrequirecleanup to meet Wikipedia'squality standards. The specific problem is:Out of date information and long, hard-to-read sentences. Please helpimprove this section if you can.(October 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

The Morrison government announced an economic stimulus package to combat the effects of coronavirus on the economy.^[268]

On 12 March 2020 the government announced aA$17.6 billion stimulus package, the first since the 2008GFC.^[269][270] The package consists of multiple parts, a one-off A$750 payment to around 6.5 million welfare recipients as early as 31 March 2020, small business assistance with 700,000 grants up to $25,000 and a 50% wage subsidy for 120,000 apprenticies or trainees for up to 9 months, $1 billion to support economically impacted sectors, regions and communities, and $700 million to increase tax write off and $3.2 billion to support short-term small and medium-sized business investment.^[269][271]

On 30 March theAustralian Government announced a $130 billion "JobKeeper" wage subsidy program, Scott Morrison later admitted there was a$60 billionArchived 14 January 2022 at theWayback Machine error in the calculation.^[272] The JobKeeper program would pay employers up to $1500 a fortnight per full-time, part-time or casual employee that has worked for that business for over a year. For a business to be eligible, they must have lost 30% of turnover after 1 March of annual revenue up to and including $1 billion. For businesses with a revenue of over $1 billion, turnover must have decreased by 50%. Businesses are then required by law to pay the subsidy to their staff, in lieu of their usual wages.^[273] This response came after the enormous job losses seen just a week prior when an estimated 1 million Australians lost their jobs. This massive loss in jobs caused themyGov website to crash and lines out ofCentrelink offices to run hundreds of metres long.^[274] The program was backdated to 1 March, to aim at reemploying the many people who had just lost their jobs in the weeks before. Businesses would receive the JobKeeper subsidy for 6 months.^[273]

The announcement of the JobKeeper wage subsidy program is the largest measure announced by the Australian Government in response to the economic impact of theCOVID-19 Outbreak. In the first hour of the scheme, over 8,000 businesses registered to receive the payments. The JobKeeper wage subsidy program is one of the largest economic packages ever implemented in the history of Australia.^[273]

In September 2020 the Australian Government passed changes to "JobKeeper" wage subsidy program. From 28 September, the payment will fall to $1,200 a fortnight, followed by a further drop at the beginning of January 2021 to $1,000.^[275][276] Morrison promised in September 2020 that Australians stranded overseas would be “home by Christmas“, without consulting the rest of government.^[277]

During the term of the Morrison government, allegations of misconduct by Parliamentary members and staffers of the government, Opposition and cross benchers became a matter of intense scrutiny, as part of wider societal debate on the topic of the eradication of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault. These events led to widespread debate and demonstrations against mistreatment of women in Parliamentary workplace culture, as well as to debates about media coverage and due process.^{[278][279][280]}

Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces

On 5 March 2021, the Morrison government established the Independent Review into Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces, with support from the Opposition and crossbench. The review was conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission and led by the Sex Discrimination Commission. The Review's Terms of Reference asked for recommendations to ensure that Commonwealth parliamentary workplaces were safe and respectful, reflecting best practice in the prevention and handling of bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault.^[281] The report found that men in parliament were "more likely to perpetrate sexual harassment, while women were more likely to bully".^[282] On 8 February 2022, the Parliament issued a Statement of Acknowledgement of an "unacceptable history of workplace bullying, sexual harassment and sexual assault in Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces" which committed the Parliament to "continuing to build safe and respectful workplaces."^[283]

Rape allegations

Two separate historical rape allegations became public in February 2021, one regarding the alleged conduct of the Morrison government's Attorney GeneralChristian Porter when he was a child, and one regarding the alleged rape of a female Liberal staffer by a male staffer in the office of the Defence MinisterLinda Reynolds after hours, in the lead up to the 2019 election campaign.^[284] The allegations followed a similar allegation against the former Labor Opposition LeaderBill Shorten, and emerged as female Labor staffers were also coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and abuse by some male Labor colleagues in the workplace.^[279][280]

Claims of "workplace harassment", "systemicmisogyny" and "victim blaming" in Parliament were widely aired.^[284][285]

On 15 February 2021,Brittany Higgins, a former staffer in the office of Defence MinisterLinda Reynolds came forward in the media with an allegation that, in March 2019, she had been raped by a male staffer in the office of the Defence Minister after being taken their after hours following a heavy drinking session.^[286] Higgins took the matter to police on 24 February, and investigations are ongoing.^[287] Higgins said the support offered by her Liberal bosses had been inadequate after the alleged rape.^[288]

After the ABC had announced that a "cabinet minister" was the subject of rape allegations, Attorney-GeneralChristian Porter came forward on 3 March 2021, to confirm that he had been the subject of the allegation that in 1988, when he was a 17-year-old boy, he had raped a 16-year-old girl. He denied the allegation. The woman who had made the allegation committed suicide in June 2020. NSW police pronounced the matter closed on the basis of "insufficient admissible evidence to proceed".^[289] Porter is currently suing the ABC for defamation, and the matter remains ongoing.^[290] The ABC campaigned strongly for the removal of the Attorney General. ABC political correspondentLaura Tingle argued in an 3 March editorial for the7:30 program that it did not matter if he been found guilty of a crime beyond reasonable doubt, but that "perception" was sufficient for his removal. She dismissed comparisons made by Porter to Labor leaderBill Shorten.^[291]

AnEssential poll found that 65% of respondents (including 76% of Labor supporters, 51% of Coalition supporters and 88% of Greens supporters) said that the government was more interested in protecting itself than women.^[292]

As well as theLabor andGreens parties, the government faced criticism from within its own party. Former Prime MinisterMalcolm Turnbull, who had been made aware of the allegations against Porter in 2019, criticised him for taking too long to come forward.^[293] Former Prime MinisterJohn Howard, however, defended Morrison's decision not to open an independent inquiry into Porter's conduct.^[294]

Australian of the Year and sexual assault survivor advocateGrace Tame also criticised Morrison's rhetoric. Tame lambasted at Morrison at her NPC address, criticising Morrison's use of the “as a father” phrase, as well as saying "It shouldn't take having children to have a conscience."^[295]

Prima facie case on Christian Porter

In October 2021, the Morrison government successfully voted against sending government MPChristian Porter to the privileges committee regarding his blind trust. This vote was significant because theSpeakerTony Smith had determined there was aPrima facie case and in voting down the motion, the Morrison government became the first government to refuse a referral from the Speaker sinceFederation.^[296] The move from the government attracted significant criticism in the media.^{[297][298][299][300]}

Additionally,the Leader of the HousePeter Dutton did not allow crossbench MPs remoting into Parliament (due to COVID) to vote on the motion even thoughthe Senate allows voting in such a fashion. If MPs were permitted to vote remotely the vote likely would have ended in a tie, giving the Speaker the deciding vote.^[301]

Senator Kimberley Kitching

In March 2022, Labor SenatorKimberley Kitching died of a heart attack, aged 52. Journalists revealed that in the lead up to her death she had been seeking assistance for alleged bullying by senior Labor SenatorsPenny Wong,Kristina Keneally andKaty Gallagher. At the Senator's funeral, her husband said a "cantankerous cabal" had targeted the late Senator. Morrison called for Labor to conduct an investigation. Opposition LeaderAnthony Albanese refused to open an investigation, citing "respect" for Kitching as the reason.^[302]

The Morrison government was accused of ‘pork-barrelling’ over a $660 million commuter car park program that saw a large number of promised car parks targeted at Liberal Party held seats considered at risk in the 2019 election.^[303]

The Australian National Audit Office ‘found that the federal government cash splash was ‘not administered appropriately and that there was no consultation with state governments and councils about where the money was needed.'^[304] It further found that 'there is little evidence to demonstrate that the selection of commuter car park projects was based on assessed merit against the investment principles or achievement of the policy objective.'^[305] This led to claims that the government's commuter car park program was an example of 'pork-barelling',^[306] which was amplified after a number of the proposed car parks were found to be unsuitable and cancelled.^[303]

Prime MinisterScott Morrison was subject to internal criticism when texts from his Coalition colleagues were leaked in January and February 2022. In January 2022, texts from a senior cabinet minister in the Morrison government, sent to former NSW PremierGladys Berejiklian were revealed, where the minister labelled the Prime Minister a “horrible, horrible person” and a “complete psycho”.^[307]This was soon followed by leaked texts sent from Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, who in March 2021 labelled the Prime Minister “a hypocrite and a liar” in text messages. Joyce offered his resignation to the Prime Minister but the offer was declined.^[308]

In 2022, New South Wales state MP Catherine Cusack accused Morrison of politicising the Lismore floods and not doing enough to assist flood relief.^[309] Sitting Liberal Senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells accused Morrison of being “unfit for office", an "autocrat", and a "bully" with "no moral compass". She also suggested Scott Morrison "has used his so-called faith as a marketing advantage".^[310]

In August 2022, it was revealed that Prime MinisterScott Morrison had secretly been appointed to six ministerial roles: Treasurer, Health Minister, Minister for Industry, Science and Energy, Minister for Resources, Minister for Finance and Minister for Public Service. His colleagues say that they were unaware of his "secret appointments".

The2022 federal election was called by Morrison on 10 April 2022, when he visited theGovernor-General advising the latter to prorogue Parliament and dissolve the House of Representatives. The Governor-General accepted Morrison's recommendations, as is the custom in Australia's Westminster system of government.^[311][312] The Parliament was then prorogued and the House of Representatives dissolved the next morning.

The election was held on 21 May 2022.^[313] As of 10:00PM AEST on election night, theLabor Party (led byAnthony Albanese) was projected to form a government by ABC News, although it was not clear whether they would have a majority or a minority.^[314] Notable outcomes included the popularity of community independents in several inner-city seats, costing Treasurer and Deputy Liberal LeaderJosh Frydenberg his seat; a particularly sizable swing from the Coalition to Labor in Western Australia; and notably strong support for theAustralian Greens in some inner-city Brisbane seats.

After the bulk of the votes had been counted and a Labor victory appeared inevitable, Morrison conceded the election, and then announced his intention to resign as the Liberal Party leader.^[315] The Coalition's loss was attributed to Morrison's unpopularity with voters and the popularity of centrist "teal independents" in certain inner-city electorates.^[316][317] Albanese, who also made history as the first Italian-Australian to secure the position of Prime Minister,^[318] was sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Australia on 23 May 2022.^[319]

• 2018 Liberal Party of Australia leadership spills
• 45th Parliament of Australia (first term of government)
• 46th Parliament of Australia (second term of government)
• 2020 Eden-Monaro by-election
• 2020s in Australia political history

• Morrison government
• 2020s in Australian politics
• Governments of Australia
• Scott Morrison

• Webarchive template wayback links
• Pages containing links to subscription-only content
• CS1 errors: missing periodical
• All articles with dead external links
• Articles with dead external links from July 2021
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• EngvarB from July 2016
• Use dmy dates from August 2018
• Use Australian English from January 2023
• All Wikipedia articles written in Australian English
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from December 2020
• Articles needing cleanup from October 2021
• All pages needing cleanup
• Cleanup tagged articles with a reason field from October 2021
• Wikipedia pages needing cleanup from October 2021