25 Aug 2018 - 10:51 AM
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has responded to pressure from Coalition backbenchers and agreed to give former Prime Minister Tony Abbott a place in a cabinet.
Though initially wary of the proposal, Prime Minister Morrison claimed that he thought about it and could see “no better place for Tony Abbott than to stay in a cabinet.”
“I think he’d do a great job in a cabinet,” said Morrison. “When you have someone in your team of Tony Abbott’s experience, strength and knowledge you need to do everything in your power to get them in a cabinet as soon as possible.
“When I first heard Tony Abbott speak I thought to myself that this man deserves to be in a cabinet. A man with his views and opinions and willingness to express them should be immediately recognised and placed into a cabinet.
“I don’t believe it should be a short term move, either. Lock him in a cabinet. Lock him in so that we know he’ll be in that cabinet for a long, long time. It would probably be a nice change for him to be in a cabinet without leaks. He’d probably be shocked when he first fully appreciated just how entrenched in this cabinet he will be.”
Morrison also claimed that the move will help reunite the Coalition Government, easing the last of any tension remaining from this year’s spill motion.
“Hopefully now my backbench colleagues will see that Tony Abbott is where he deserves to be. I’m aware there have been some rumblings of discontent with the role that Tony occupies in my government and I’m happy to put that to rest right now.
“Now, when a backbencher is feeling under appreciated they can walk down to my office, pass the cabinet and see that Tony is where he belongs. Heck, maybe it will inspire them. They’ll see that and know that if they follow the path of Tony Abbott they too could end up in a cabinet.”
https://www.sbs.com.au/comedy/article/2018/08/25/scott-morrison-agrees-put-tony-abbott-cabinet
