Call me ScoMo, bro: How Morrison turned down offer to run NZ election campaign
In a sliding doors moment for both countries, it has been revealed former Australian prime minister Scott Morrison turned down the chance to lead the New Zealand National party’s election campaign in 2005.
Former NZ finance minister Steven Joyce made the revelation in his newly released book, On The Record.
Then a party operative, Joyce writes he travelled to Australia in September 2003 to āboth observe the Liberal Partyās federal election campaign and meet our prospective campaign director ā¦ a guy called Scott Morrisonā.
In an interview with AAP, Joyce said Morrison verbally agreed the deal.
āIt all looked very, very promising. We thought āWell, this guy will be able to do the jobā,ā he said.
āThen we came home to New Zealand and shortly thereafter he had to turn us down because heād been shoulder tapped by the Liberal Party and encouraged to stay in Australia because there was a seat coming up.
āIt was a verbal agreement. We didnāt get to signing on the dotted line.ā
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Morrison was no stranger to NZ, working as an advisor to tourism minister Murray McCully and a senior tourism bureaucrat in Wellington between 1998 and 2000.
He had experience running Australian campaigns, overseeing Liberal campaigns in for the 2001 federal election and for NSW in 2003.
āJen and I were familiar with NZ and had enjoyed our time together there,ā Morrison told AAP.
āThe offer to come and work on the Nationals 2005 campaign was therefore of interest at that time, and I discussed it with (National leader) Don Brash.
āOther opportunities presented themselves in Australia and we chose to remain. I did however stay in contact with my Kiwi friends, including Steven and followed their progress.ā
Morrison went on to become managing director of Tourism Australia, the MP for Cook in 2007, and ultimately, prime minister from 2018 to 2022.
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Without a campaign director for the 2005 Kiwi election, Joyce took up the role himself successfully ā increasing Nationalās vote from 21 per cent in the 2002 poll to 38 per cent, and almost defeating Helen Clarkās government.
Joyce went on to lead four more campaigns for National as it took power in 2008, entering parliament as an MP at that election, and serving as infrastructure and finance minister.
āIt was certainly a sliding doors moment for me,ā he said.
ā(Morrison) would have to judge whether there was one for him, but he certainly got to be Prime Minister of Australia at the end of it, so that worked out well.ā
Joyce was tapped by Morrisonās government to review Australiaās vocational training system, and then by the Liberals to run a review into their 2019 election.
Mr Joyce has stepped back from the political fray but remains a keen observer of Kiwi politics.
Two weeks ago, he told TVNZ this yearās election was āwider openā than the five campaigns he ran from 2005 to 2017.
He now senses New Zealanders are leaning towards returning power to the National party.
āItās moving more towards a change,ā he said.
āThe public are getting to a point where they are keen to make a change and thatās because the incumbent government, probably more than anything else, hasnāt been able to execute policy decisions very well.
āAnd the economy is quite clearly in need of a reset and the question is, āCan the current government achieve that reset?ā
āThe public wants a reset and theyāll be looking for somebody who can do that reset for them.ā
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