CANBERRA: Former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison has said that he will retire from politics in February, ending a prolonged period of speculation and rumors over his future after an election defeat in 2022.
In a social media post on January 23, he said he would be resigning from Parliament by the end of February to “take on new challenges in corporate sector and spend time with my family”.
Morrison also thanked his family, voters and friends for giving him the chance to “serve my country at the highest level and make Australia a more secure, more prosperous and stronger country”.
Former Australian Prime Minister to Quit Parliament Next Month
First elected in 2007, Morrison rose quickly through the high ranks of the centre-right Liberal Party. The ex-PM was initially known for executing the government’s hardline crackdown on asylum seekers arriving by ship, then went on to become treasurer in the year 2015 and eventually prime minister in 2018.
A devout Christian, when he unexpectedly won the 2019 polls, he told a crowd that he had “always believed in wonders”.
However, Morrison’s time in power will be mostly remembered for the Covid-19 pandemic, during which he also oversaw strict border controls to limit all travel in and out of the country and also deployed a huge fiscal stimulus.
His tough reply was initially popular. However, as restrictions in the country were gradually lifted, the government was perceived as bungling important steps such as vaccinations, resulting in his approval rating dropping sharply. After losing the 2022 polls to Labor’s Anthony Albanese, it was revealed that Morrison had secretly sworn himself into various ministerial portfolios during the pandemic, sparking anger from members of his own political party.
Some legislators called for Morrison to quit, but the former PM stayed on as the member for Cook for over 18 months following his election defeat – a historically unusual measure for a former Australian leader whose party has lost office.
