CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
In a political climate where the number one priority is quelling anxieties surrounding the importance of a vaccine, the Prime Minister has once again refused to condemn his own colleagues for spreading misinformation about public health orders.
In true Scotty From Marketing fashion, the PM has swerved a question highlighting his reluctance to shut down the vocal skepticism of treatments and vaccines from his close conservative ally Craig Kelly MP.
On top of the 24 million dollar public information campaign, Scotty says people should seek information about the vaccination program from official government websites, not from Facebook.
But when pressed about the behaviour of Craig Kelly – a Liberal MP who has built a substantial constricts following on Facebook – Morrison instead declared that the outspoken MP did a “great job” in his electorate of Hughes – which neighbours the Prime Minister’s hometown in Cronulla.
“He’s not my doctor and he’s not yours” he added
“So don’t listen to him about vaccines. But do listen to him about everything else”
“Basically, I urge you to take him seriously except for this particular issue that I refuse to condemn him for spreading misinformation about”
“In short, Craig Kelly is a fine man who doesn’t know where any skeletons are buried”
Morrison went on to reiterate several times that his Sutherland ally doesn’t have anything on the current government, and knows nothing about Morrison’s Liberal pre-selection to the Division Of Cook in 2007, which was won through a calculated and Murdoch-aided smear campaign against the Lebanese-Australian conservative candidate, Michael Towke – who democratically won pre-selection in the ballot with 82 votes to Morrison’s 8 votes – but was dumped after the Daily Telegraph utilised the anti-Arab sentiment of the Cronulla Riots and accused the winning Liberal of since disproven accusations of branch stacking and dodgy business dealings.
The tarnished Towke then sued NewsCorp for defamation claims, which were later settled out of court.
Morrison says Craig Kelly is just simply a good bloke who does a good job, and doesn’t have anything dangling above the government in the wake of the Sports Rorts scandal and the ousting of Turnbull.
During yesterday’s National Press Club address that looked a lot like a Hillsong pastor’s sermon, Morrison was also quick to remind everyone that he is on top of everything.
The PM says he has resumed efforts to invite a diplomatic and economic rapprochement with China, after previously vilifying them and accusing their leaders of biochemical terrorism in an effort to impress the now redundant Trump Administration, and outlined further details of the vaccination program.
MORE TO COME.
