Scott Morrison’s long-term future is at stake after he was sacked as Prime Minister and resigned as Liberal leader following his election defeat.
Analysts suggest he will try to wreak havoc from the bench, but he has already hinted he could even try to make a comeback.
In an emotionally charged reading at his church on Saturday, Morrison warned: “Though I fall, I will rise.”
New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came to power after a “seismic” collapse of Coalition support in key electorates saw Liberals such as Treasurer Josh Frydenberg lose their seats.
Labor is now on the brink of a majority government with 75 seats, just one short of the 76 it needs, and several seats are still too close to call as counting continues.
In Morrison’s concession speech at Sydney’s Fullerton Hotel on Saturday night, he confirmed he was stepping down as leader.
But he vowed to remain in Parliament to serve his southern Sydney constituents.
“The people of Cook have strongly supported me and I will continue to be their representative,” he said.
Scott Morrison’s long-term future is at stake after he was sacked as Prime Minister and resigned as Liberal leader following his election defeat.
He and his wife Jenny hosted a final farewell drink for staff at Kirribilli House on Sunday afternoon after Morrison said he will hand the Coalition reins to a new leader, with former Defense Minister Peter Dutton the current favourite.
But what remains unclear is whether Morrison will seek a role on the new leader’s bench as a shadow minister, or move to the backbenches.
Alternatively, he might later reconsider his decision to stay in Canberra and quit to spend more time with Jenny and his daughters, Abbey and Lily.
Veteran political broadcaster Barrie Cassidy predicted Morrison will remain in Parliament, intending to cause chaos by shooting from the sidelines.
“He does what every other former Prime Minister does,” Cassidy told Ten’s The Project. “He creates mischief.”
He said he hoped Morrison would fill the roles once played by other former prime ministers such as Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd, who were left to face their rivals, free from the constraints of political office.
And in his final words as prime minister, Morrison gave a strong indication that he hoped to one day achieve a triumphant return to power.
In a tearful speech at his Horizon Pentecostal megachurch in Sutherland on Sunday, Morrison read a key passage from the Book of Micah.
“Do not rejoice for me, my enemy,” said Mr Morrison.
‘Even if I fall, I will get up.’
In a tearful speech at his Horizon Pentecostal megachurch in Sutherland on Sunday, Scott Morrison hinted at a political comeback when he read a key passage from the Book of Micah.
The passage echoes attempts by former prime ministers Abbott and Rudd, who planned a return to power from the backbenches after being ousted from the top spot.
But Morrison may also follow the lead of Malcolm Turnbull, who resigned from Parliament after losing power to Scott Morrison in the 2018 Liberal Party coup.
However, Turnbull’s decision to resign plunged his party into crisis, as he lost his seat of Wentworth in Sydney’s eastern suburbs to independent Dr Kerryn Phelps, costing the Coalition its majority. absolute.
The decision made it difficult for the government to implement new legislation without the support of crossbenchers.
But the magnitude of the Coalition’s collapse in Saturday’s election means it is virtually impossible for them to prevent Labour’s agenda from being rolled out.
Labor is now in a strong position with a likely overall majority and likely support from both the Greens and the new wave of teal independents for any climate change legislation.
Veteran political broadcaster Barrie Cassidy predicted Morrison will remain in Parliament, intending to cause chaos by shooting from the sidelines.
‘Firstly, the Labor Party wins a majority government and the Liberals lose 20 seats.
Then you add the independent element, and we are not talking about the emergence of minor parties here, five individuals arrived at the same time. We had never seen that before.
«Then we look at what the Greens have achieved. The Greens have defeated Labor before, but have never taken a seat from the Liberal Party at federal level.
And they did it in Queensland. What’s more, it looks like they might have denied Pauline Hanson a Senate seat. All this is a big problem.
He added: ‘This time voters rewarded those with the toughest climate change policies.
“They rewarded Labour, they rewarded the Greens and they rewarded the independents.”
The devastating result means Morrison could leave Canberra without substantially further damaging the Coalition, even in the unlikely event the Liberals lost the by-election for the seat.
In his emotional appearance at church on Sunday, Morrison said his readings to the congregation would be ‘The last thing I say as Prime Minister.’
In his first reading from the dark book of Habakkuk, Morrison choked back tears as he spoke of “triumphing” in the face of adversity.
He and his wife Jenny offered a final farewell drink for staff at Kirribilli House on Sunday afternoon after Morrison said he would hand the Coalition reins to a new leader, with former Defense Minister Peter Dutton the current favourite. .
“They have given us a great foundation from which we were able to travel what has been a very difficult path, I must tell you, for the last almost four years,” he said.
‘God calls us. It doesn’t matter if you are a prime minister, a pastor, run a business, teach in schools or work in the police.
‘Each of us is called to trust and obey, and that is the life of faith to which He calls us. This is how we live our faith, every day, regardless of what your job is, and how to express it through how you do it.’
He even provoked a laugh as he reflected on his role as a one-term prime minister, joking: ‘In the last election, we really understood that it was for a time like this.
‘And now we understand that it was for a time like that!’
He followed his appearance at the church with a farewell post on Instagram, congratulating Mr Albanese on his victory and thanking the Australian public.
“Now I really want to return to the region, my family and continue serving my local community,” he posted a photo of him and Jenny.
‘For me, life has always been about faith, family, friends and community. We are not our jobs but who we are as unique individuals (in my opinion), loved by God.
‘Jenny and I thank Australia for the honor of having served. “I thank my family, friends and colleagues for all their support, especially my dear friend Josh Frydenberg.”