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Scott Morrison said his Conservative government left Australia in robust shape even as voters chastised him on Saturday for his handling of issues such as climate change and the pandemic, which helped slam the centre-left opposition for the first time in almost to bring back to power in a decade .
Morrison, 54, said he would step down as leader of the Liberal Party – the senior member of the Conservative coalition that has ruled since 2013 – after conceding defeat to the Labor Party and its leader, Anthony Albanese.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison gestures as his wife Jenny looks on as he speaks outside a Liberal Party function in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday May 21, 2022. Morrison has conceded defeat and confirmed he would relinquish leadership of the Liberal Party after his party’s loss to Labor in today’s general election. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Morrison, a former tourism marketer before entering politics, was branded an “accidental prime minister” in 2018 when his government peers singled him out to replace then-leader Malcolm Turnbull. Morrison caused a major upset when he led the coalition to victory in a 2019 election that was reportedly unwinnable.
He has since been heavily criticized for dragging out the climate change chain and for failing to set up a promised integrity and corruption watchdog to oversee national politicians.
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He has also been despised for vacationing in Hawaii during Australia’s great bushfire crisis in the summer of 2019/20, for his government’s botched country’s COVID-19 vaccination program, and more recently for spearheading, while neighbors in the South Pacific the Solomon Islands, entered into a strategic partnership with China.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison poses for a selfie after voting for Cook in his electorate on Saturday May 21, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. Australians go to the polls on Saturday after a six-week election campaign that has focused on pandemic-induced inflation. Climate change and fears a Chinese military base will be built less than 1,200 miles off Australia’s coast. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
Morrison was also widely condemned for a perceived lack of empathy regarding the treatment of women in Australian society, an issue that has come under intense scrutiny by damaging revelations of sexual harassment scandals that rocked the federal parliament. Analysts pointed to this area as one of the reasons for such a strong vote for the so-called blue-green independents in Saturday’s election, a majority of which were women.
Still, after congratulating Albanese, Morrison struck a proud and defiant tone as he defended his and his government’s record, focusing on the economy, his government’s work to prevent refugees from boating into the country to come and strengthen the nation’s defenses.
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison makes gestures after voting for Cook in his electorate on Saturday May 21, 2022 in Sydney, Australia. Australians go to the polls on Saturday after a six-week campaign focused on pandemic-related inflation, climate change and fears a Chinese military outpost will be built less than 1,200 miles from Australia’s coast. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
“We are handing over this country as a government in a stronger position than we inherited when we came to power (2013),” Morrison told a gathering of Liberal supporters in Sydney late Saturday night.
“Unemployment today is at its lowest level in 48 years,” he said, citing a rate of 3.9%.
“Australians who are leaving school, leaving university, entering the workforce know that they have the confidence to be out there and get a job and achieve their aspirations and I wish that for them, I wish that for them country,” he said.
Volunteers stand outside a polling station as they wait for the Australian Prime Minister to vote on Saturday May 21, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. Australians go to the polls on Saturday after a six-week election campaign that has focused on pandemic-related inflation and climate change and fears a Chinese military outpost will be built less than 1,200 miles from Australia’s coast. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)
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“We are exiting the government after securing our borders many years ago and we are exiting the government after restoring our nation’s defenses,” he added, noting the recently formed security alliance called AUKUS, which also includes the United States and belong to the United Kingdom.
Morrison also commended his administration’s work on health issues, particularly in the area of mental health.
He said it was a “privilege to lead this great party and this great nation” but that as leader he would “take responsibility for the victories and losses”.
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“Therefore, I will relinquish the leadership at the next party congress session so that the party can move forward under new leadership,” he said.
“It’s a night of disappointment… but it’s also a time for coalition members and supporters across the country to keep their heads up. We were a strong government. We were good government. Australia is stronger over these last three terms because of our efforts.”