The Morrison government was the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn in by the Governor-General of Australia. It was composed of members of the Liberal–National Coalition and succeeded the Abbott (2013–2015) and Turnbull (2015–2018) coalition governments in office, competing against the Australian Labor Party as the major Opposition party. Nationals Leader Michael McCormack was Deputy 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 by Barnaby Joyce.
Scott Morrison was Treasurer in the Turnbull government and became Prime Minister following the resignation of Malcolm Turnbull in 2018. The Coalition had been led to government at the 2013 Election by Tony Abbott, however Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister by challenging Abbott in 2015. Turnbull then led the Coalition to a narrow victory at the 2016 Election, and resigned in the midst of a challenge to his leadership by Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton in 2018. Turnbull then quit Parliament, plunging the Coalition into minority government following the 2018 Wentworth by-election. Elected leader of the Liberals over Dutton in the 2018 spill, Morrison then restored the Coalition to majority government at the 2019 Election.
With the commencement of the Morrison government, Josh Frydenberg replaced Julie Bishop as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and replaced Morrison as Treasurer in the First Morrison Ministry, while Marise Payne took over from Bishop as Foreign Minister. Frydenberg and Payne remained in their posts in the Second Morrison Ministry, which was notable for including Ken Wyatt as Minister for Indigenous Australians – the first Aboriginal Australian to sit in Federal Cabinet – and seven women members, which was the largest number of women Cabinet members in Australian history.Ken Wyatt: Australia's first indigenous cabinet minister ; bcc.com; 28 May 2019Scott Morrison says his Cabinet maintains a record representation of women. Is he correct? ; abc.net.au; 5 June 2019
In economic affairs, after producing the lowest federal budget deficit in a decade, Treasurer Frydenberg predicted a small surplus in the 2019 Federal Budget, however the outbreak of the COVID-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 a National 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.Covid: Australia to reopen borders to international travel ; bcc.com, 7 Feb 2022 By the fourth Frydenberg Budget in March 2022 ahead of the 2022 Election, Australia’s unemployment rate was at 4% and projected to drop to 3.75%, its lowest figure in 50 years.Morrison government predicts unemployment will drop to 50-year low as it spruiks pre-election budget ; theguardian.com; 28 Mar, 2022
In trade and international affairs, the Morrison government concluded free trade agreements with Indonesia, the United Kingdom and India. In the Indo-Pacific region, Morrison launched the Pacific Step-Up initiative to increase engagement with Pacific Island nations, and revived the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Japan, India and United States. He also signed the AUKUS 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 autocratic Xi Jinping government in China, with Australia calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 and China responding with trade sanctions.Chinese official declares Beijing has targeted Australian goods as economic punishment ; abc.net.au; 7 Jul 2021 Following the Russian 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 the 2022 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 leader Anthony Albanese was sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia on 23 May 2022.
Background
Abbott wins office for Coalition
The Liberal-National Coalition won office under the leadership of Tony Abbott in the 2013 Australian federal election in which Abbott defeated the second Rudd government and ended six years of Labor government. 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.". "
In office, the Abbott government removed the Rudd-Gillard era Resource Super Profits Tax and carbon tax., ABC Fact checker; ABC Fact Checker With Scott Morrison as Minister Immigration and Border Protection, the government halted the people smuggling trade; concluded free trade agreements with China, Japan and South Korea; established the National Commission of Audit to advise on restoring the Budget to surplus; instituted the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption; founded the Medical Research Future Fund; produced White Papers on Developing Northern Australia and the Agricultural Competitiveness; and promised a referendum to recognise indigenous Australians in the Constitution. Treasurer Joe 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 rival Malcolm 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."; ABC; 7.30, Transcript 6 February 2015 A spill 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.
Turnbull challenges Abbott
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. on 14 September 2015, Malcolm Turnbull won a leadership ballot, 54 votes to 44, and the Turnbull government became the federal government of Australia. Turnbull appointed Scott Morrison as his Treasurer in an expanded ministry. The Turnbull government continued a number of Abbott government initiatives, maintaining Abbott's promise for a plebiscite on same-sex marriage in Australia, and his carbon emissions targets.Malcolm Turnbull keeps same-sex marriage, climate change policies on first day as Prime Minister ; abc.net.au; 15 See 2015 Unable to secure passage of Abbott's bill to re-establish an anti-corruption watchdog for the construction industry, Turnbull initiated a double dissolution election. The election was held on 2 July, Under the slogan "jobs and growth," Turnbull then led the Coalition to the 2016 Election in which their majority in the House of Representatives was reduced to one seat.
Morrison becomes Prime Minister
Turnbull's ousting of Abbott had divided the Liberal Party rank and file and tensions continued in the parliamentary Party.NSW Liberals groan as Malcolm Turnbull tells gathering party is not ruled by factions, new PM praises Tony Abbott ; Australian Broadcasting Corporation; 10 October 2015Jeff Kennett attacks Malcolm Turnbull for 'self-interest' and lack of courage ; The Sydney Morning Herald; 9 March 2016Kevin Andrews says remarks about challenging Turnbull for leadership 'hypothetical' ; Australian Broadcasting Corporation; 5 April 2016 In April 2018, the government reached the 30-consecutive-Newspoll-losses benchmark Turnbull had used to unseat Abbott. The government suffered by-election losses in July 2018.Malcolm Turnbull's authority diminished after by-election failures ; www.abc.net.au; 30 July 2018 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 a leadership spill, which he narrowly won against Peter 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 and Julie 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.Julie Bishop quits as Foreign Minister and will likely retire from Parliament ; www.smh.com.au; 26 Aug 2018
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. He became a trenchant critic of his successor Scott Morrison and backed independent candidates to replace Liberals in subsequent by-elections and elections.‘Very healthy’: Malcolm Turnbull backs climate-focused independents running in Liberal seats ; theguardian.com.au; 9 Dec 2021 Bishop told a Women'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".Julie Bishop criticises parliamentary colleagues for 'appalling' behaviour ; 6 Sep 2018 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.Turnbull lobbies PM to refer Peter Dutton to high court over eligibility ; www.theguardian.com; 13 Sept 2018 Bishop announced she would quit politics and not re-contest her seat in a statement to parliament in February 2019.
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.Former Liberal PMs line up to support Morrison’s leadership rules ; www.sbs.com.au
Minority government