Tracy Grimshawdoesn’t disappoint. She opens her interview withScott Morrison onA Current Affairby asking the prime minister when he first realised he was a bulldozer.
With a straight face,Morrison says that he has known for some time.
Asked what he could have done differently,he acknowledges that he could have been “more sensitive” and that he would have militarised the vaccine rollout earlier.
Grimshaw asks if he regrets referring to the “heroism” of firefighters as “holding a hose”.
The PM says that wasn’t the context of his infamous quote,“I don’t hold a hose mate”,but concedes,“of course”.
He says he accepts that at times people have not liked his language but on “actual policies”,he’s been getting “very strong results”.
Asked if French PresidentEmmanuel Macron copped the “bulldozer” treatment,Morrison answers differently and says he does not have any regrets about cancelling the submarine deal.
“You’ve got to have a strong prime minister;you can’t have weakness,” he says.
Asked when he’ll no longer be a bulldozer,Morrison says he’s looking forward to working hard as a government to bring people “with us”.
He says the pandemic did not allow for long conversations,only fast decisions,because otherwise people would have died,but says the next phase of a Liberal government would allow more time to bring people along in support of government positions and policies.