John Howard, welcome to 7.30.
Thank you.
In all your years as prime minister, did you ever secretly appoint yourself to other ministries?
No, I didn't.
We know Scott Morrison did it five times; what possible justification could there be?
Well that's a matter for him
which is an awfully diplomatic way of saying None, he's insane.
Well, you're the former prime minister and a grandee of the party…
That doesn't give me some special right to pontificate on what some of my successors have done.
Look, Scott Morrison has talked about this, he's contextualised it
with his I'm-Scomo-the-Messiah unlogic,
and I think everybody, particularly the current Prime Minister, should get on with the present and the future. I say to Mr Albanese, stop behaving like an opposition leader. You won the election; let's hear a bit of government from you.
Shut up, Labor.
Erm, perhaps your instincts as a senior Liberal are to protect the party, […] but as both a conservative and someone who believes in parliamentary conventions, how big a breach was this?
Look, I'm not going to… pontificate
even though I look like one.
There are
stupid
reasons why he did it, and part of the conservative tradition is to always understand the context in which things occur
particularly when those things are poor decisions made by conservatives.
I don't think that belongs to the conservatives…
No, but it's not denied to the conservatives.
Indeed. But, as someone who has held that position, can you conceive of such a thing, of secretly appointing yourself to ministerial positions without telling your colleagues?
Sarah, good try,
i.e. screw you,
but look, I've indicated that it's a matter for Scott to explain and contextualise.
I think most people, and allow me the expression of this opinion, most people
in the Liberal Party
are going to say, "Well, that's interesting but let's get on with the present and the future."
I think there's a number of people in your own party who are calling on Scott Morrison to resign from parliament. Should he at least do that?
No, I don't think he should do that. Apart from anything else, it's not in the interests of the Liberal Party
even though it may well be in the interests of this country
to have a by-election at the moment […], so, if anybody cares about my party, the Liberal Party, then the last thing they'll do is be requesting unwanted by-elections.
[…]
[…]
Do you understand why the governor-general waved it through?
I don't think any criticism can be offered of the governor-general because, there is on the face of it […] nothing illegal. So in those circumstances, the true conservative principle is that he should act on the advice of his ministers
(Morrison, Morrison, Morrison, Morrison, and Morrison).
It's a legacy for your party however, which is now in the process of tearing itself apart, to some degree.
Now, I don't want to be combative…
No; nor do I, sir.
and I know you don't want to be combative, but I thought we were going to talk about…
Mmm. There are plenty of things to talk about.
Yes I know, I know; well I don't want to be, suggest[ing] for a moment, that I have been got on this program under false pretences
except right now 😈.
No, we certainly asked you on this program to talk about […] your book, but you would not deny me the opportunity to ask you an important…
No, I don't deny because it's a very free country…
Indeed.
… but I can point out the sequence of events, and I can give context to the questions that you're asking
which are starting to irritate me ever so slightly.
[…]
[…]
One thing you're very clear about in your book is your disapproval for Donald Trump. […]
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[…] My attitude to Donald Trump has been set in stone by his behaviour after he lost.
Part of democracy is to accept results […]. I didn't like losing in 2007, but I didn't carry on that I'd been cheated, and no doubt Paul Keating didn't like losing to me in '96 but he didn't say he'd been cheated.
And it didn't turn out that you'd appointed yourself to numerous ministries at the same time.
Dammit, I was going to make the closing remark.
Mr Howard, that's all we have time for this evening but thank you very much indeed for joining us.
Thank you.