Do we like Scott Morrison?
Our score: 2 out of 10. A long voting record against LGBTI, trans and climate measures, plus backing for the push to exclude trans women from sport, with little real good to set against it.
Scott Morrison grew up in Bronte, a beachside Sydney suburb, the son of a police commander who was also a local councillor. He did a stint as a child actor in TV ads, including one for Vicks cough medicine. Then came the Property Council, Tourism Australia (managing director 2004 to 2006) and four years as NSW state director of the Liberal Party, before he won the seat of Cook in 2007.
The rise was quick. As immigration minister under Tony Abbott he set up Operation Sovereign Borders, then he was treasurer from 2015, and in August 2018 he beat Peter Dutton in a party-room vote to become prime minister. His voting record backs up the hardline label: They Vote For You has him consistently voting for turning back asylum boats, and against removing children from immigration detention.
The scandal that stuck was the secret ministries. He had himself sworn into five extra portfolios in 2020 and 2021, and only one of the ministers knew. Former High Court judge Virginia Bell found the arrangement was “corrosive of trust in government”, and the House censured him, a first for a former prime minister. The Coalition called it a political stunt and noted that no illegality was found.
Robodebt is the other big one. After the royal commission referred him, the National Anti-Corruption Commission cleared him in March 2026. It found two other officials engaged in corrupt conduct. He welcomed the outcome, saying it rejects “the false claims and adverse political narratives”, and he acknowledged “significant failures” in the scheme. Whether he deserves full credit for that clean sheet is a fight the Greens and the Government haven't dropped.
Now the harm check. In April 2022 he said he shared the views of Katherine Deves and Claire Chandler, whose campaigns aim to let sports bodies exclude trans women from single-sex sport. He said “I welcome Katherine’s selection, pleased to play a role in that.” Equality Australia's CEO said “Enough is enough.” His votes line up: They Vote For You has him consistently against transgender rights and protections, against LGBTI legal protections, against marriage equality, and against net zero and the Paris Agreement.
The recent stoush was in January 2026, when he used an antisemitism conference speech in Israel and an opinion piece to call for an imam register, accreditation and English translation of sermons. He said the aim was to “keep the wolves from the flock”. The Australian National Imams Council called it “reckless, irresponsible, and deeply ill-informed”, and Liberal senator Andrew Bragg backed the plan. Where you land depends on whether you read it as counter-terrorism policy or as singling out Muslims.