Scott Morrison at his Horizon Church during the 2019 election campaign.Credit:AAP
Well,shy Morrison’s book ain’t. The theme ofPlans For Your Good:A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness is God’s constant presence to Morrison,who says he “often felt like an alien in the place where I believe God has called me to serve” – an alien line in the average Australian political memoir.
But the faith element isn’t surprising. Australia’s first Pentecostal prime minister now seeks an American audience. The foreword is written by former US vice president and fellow Christian Mike Pence. American spelling and explanations of Australiana,from Akubra hats to Christmas crackers,appear throughout.
Obvious high points of Morrison’s prime ministership are covered,such as the “miracle” election win of 2019 and the crafting of AUKUS,praised as his government’s best achievement.
Loading
Also included,but not dwelt on,are occasions where Morrison’s legacy,and the faith factor he gives these events,might be more mixed. Morrison says he “sought to be sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Spirit” while weighing up whether to stand for the prime ministership after the Malcolm Turnbull leadership spill. (Turnbull remembers being stabbed in the back by Morrison. You’ll have to decide whatyou think.)
Elsewhere,Morrison links Christian beliefs about human dignity,owing to the idea that all people are made in God’s image,with his decision to impose restrictions on younger people to protect the lives of older Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter aren’t expendable,since “as prime minister I see every Australian’s life as precious”. That’s worth applauding.
But the trouble is how selectively such belief seems applied elsewhere. Morrison,the architect of Operation Sovereign Borders,consigned asylum seekers to wilt,indefinitely,in offshore detention. This incredibly effective regime was,and is,also incredibly dehumanising. But aren’t the lives of refugees equally precious to Morrison’s God,and mine? (Yes).