"That's rubbish": Karl Stefanovic and PM ScoMo clash in tense interview
Prime Minister Scott Morrison copped a grilling from Today host Karl Stefanovic this morning as he announced a surprise policy reversal to keep the retirement age at 67 instead of 70.
“You are the boss but you have little or no control over the party. You couldn’t save the Prime Minister and then you became the Prime Minister. Your party is an absolute dog’s breakfast,” Stefanovic began the interview.
“I know that. The curtain has come down on that. A new generation of Liberal leadership is in place,” Morrison responded.
“Australians want us to be less focused on what we care about and how we feel. We have got to get over that very quickly. I put the ministry in place in record time and we were on and about the business of government straight away.”
“Grab the Selleys and plug the leaks and you might have a chance. There is a leak every day,” Stefanovic shot back.
“If you can’t control the leaks you might as well be captain of the Titanic.”
As Stefanovic kept pressing, Morrison declared the suggestion he wasn’t in control of the party as “rubbish”.
Stefanovic next asked Morrison to answer questions from its viewers, one of whom asked the Prime Minister about his government’s plans to raise the retirement age to 70.
Morrison took the opportunity to announce an unexpected reversal of the government’s pension policy.
#BREAKING: Scott Morrison has announced the Coalition will no longer be raising the pension age to 70. #9Today pic.twitter.com/eTn0BuEaeC
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) September 4, 2018
“Look I was going to say this next week but I may as well say it here Karl. I’ve already consulted my colleagues on that, and next week Cabinet will be ratifying a decision to reverse taking the retirement age to 70. It will remain at 67, which is what Labor increased it to,” Morrison said.
“I don’t think we need that measure any longer when it comes to raising the pension age.”
The decision to raise the retirement age was announced in the Abbott government’s first budget, when Joe Hockey was treasurer. The change was never legislated.
Another viewer asked Mr Morrison why he doesn’t send his children to public school.
“Well, I went to public schools. I went to Clovelley Primary School and then to Sydney Boys High School,” the PM replied.
“My kids were going to a public school but I wanted them to go to a Christian school. Faith is important to us as a family. That’s a choice we made as a family.
“I don’t have any issues with the quality of public education but I wanted my kids to go to a Christian school. That’s a choice, if every Australian would like to make, they should be able to make.”