Scott Morrison standing at a press conference
Scott Morrison (Image: AAP/Mick Tsikas)

Scott Morrison, our norm-busting former prime minister, is reportedly ready to move to a post-politics role with a UK defence business in “the AUKUS space” — a genius step given Morrison was responsible for engineering the AUKUS agreement in the first place. Whether or not it is ethical is a whole other question.

If reports are true, Morrison’s AUKUS is on its way to becoming the jobs provider of choice for former Coalition cabinet ministers. First was “ambassador” Joe Hockey, then Christopher Pyne. And now, perhaps, Morrison. A prime minister, a treasurer and a defence minister — not a bad lineup, all of them with Morrison to thank.

(Grain-of-salt warning: we should pause to point out that the Canberra press gallery, source of the Morrison defence story, has a patchy record at best with the phenomenon of the former prime minister. He has neither confirmed nor denied the story. Crikey sought his comment but received no response by deadline. We plough on.)

Who knows how many former Coalition ministers will eventually place their snouts in the AUKUS money trough? And don’t forget Labor either. When the time comes, as it will, Albanese ministers too can expect jobs aplenty. There is more than enough money to go around. Four Corners this week helpfully calculated that the $368 billion cost of AUKUS is the equivalent of $32 million every day for the next 32 years. That right there is a shed load of consultancies. 

Morrison the rainmaker

So what of Morrison’s predicted move to a UK defence company, which is reportedly timed to take place anywhere between the May budget and the end of the year?  

The obvious candidate is BAE Systems, the largest defence contractor in Europe and the seventh largest in the world. BAE is the linchpin of the UK’s effort and has been building nuclear-powered submarines at its Barrow-in-Furness shipyards for years. Does an international liaison role beckon? Perhaps with Boris Johnson, the former British PM and fellow traveller who made it all happen at his end?

Most interesting though is the timing. As prime minister, Morrison’s code of ministerial conduct contained two relevant sentences, which would appear to rule out any form of defence employment for the former prime minister.  

A meaningless ministerial code 

This is how Morrison’s ministerial code began: 

The Australian people deserve a government that will act with integrity and in the best interests of the people they serve.

Serving the Australian people as ministers and assistant ministers is an honour and comes with expectations to act at all times to the highest possible standards of probity.

As the Morrison government’s record shows, the ministerial code was more an aspirational document than anything else. Here are the paragraphs directly relevant to post-ministerial employment:

(Section 2.25) Ministers are required to undertake that, for an 18-month period after ceasing to be a minister, they will not lobby, advocate or have business meetings with members of the government, Parliament, public service or defence force on any matters on which they have had official dealings as minister in their last 18 months in office. Ministers are also required to undertake that, on leaving office, they will not take personal advantage of information to which they have had access as a minister, where that information is not generally available to the public.”

So it would appear that Morrison cannot do anything for at least 18 months after finishing up as prime minister. This takes us to November this year.

However, the ministerial code may also imply that Morrison can never work in an AUKUS-related defence business given his unique role as the (self-proclaimed) author of the deal. There are other traps too. Technically his holding of five secret ministries should mean he cannot work for 18 months in any business related to home affairs, treasury, finance, health, industry, science, energy and resources.

The Morrison government’s code of ministerial conduct was clearly never intended to be taken seriously, least of all by the prime minister himself, who shredded the whole thing when he took control of half the government by stealth. And of course it was Morrison who gave his personal endorsement to Pyne when the former defence minister activated his UAE lobbying outfit pretty much 18 months to the day after leaving office.

Integrity experts gobsmacked

Griffith University Professor AJ Brown, a leading researcher into Australian government integrity systems, was initially lost for words when Crikey asked him to comment on the latest Morrison instalment.

“If this is correct then it is appalling at every level in terms of appropriateness and in terms of anything to do with reputation and integrity,” he told Crikey. “This is unbelievable.”

“You would expect that any senior political leader who has been subject to the kind of criticism Morrison came in for over his secret ministries might reflect and see that this was beyond the pale if it is true.”

“We know that the 18-month cooling-off period has not been properly enforced [by the previous government], which is a problem in itself.”

CEO of Transparency International Australia Clancy Moore told Crikey that Australians “should be very concerned” that Morrison could land a job with a UK defence company. 

“He was at the heart of setting up AUKUS and as a result would have sensitive information and contacts in the government that will give his potential employer a head start for any contract,” he said.

“This submarine-size red flag would raise questions about future Australian government procurement process. His appointment could further damage public opinion on this gigantic $368 billion agreement.”

Moore says that over 25% of major-party federal MPs who served in executive government had moved across to peak bodies, lobbying firms or directly into big business in their political afterlife. 

“This creates an unfair playing field and erodes trust in democracy,” he said.

A Transparency International Australia report published in 2000 recommended that Australia adopt an enforceable minimum-three-year “cooling off” (or anti-revolving-door) period before a former minister can accept “any relevant appointment or benefit from any entity with a commercial interest in their former portfolio”.

In Canada the period is five years, the report notes.

The report cited the decision of former defence minister Pyne to move directly from retirement in May 2019 to a job as a defence consultant with major firm EY as “perhaps the most spectacular demonstration of the weakness” of current ministerial probity regimes. The move happened on the watch of the Morrison government.

It goes to show that while the Morrison government might be gone, it is still capable of inflicting damage on the public’s trust in government. 

Crikey sought Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s comment on the integrity issues raised but we received no response.

Labor, though, is in no position to fuss. It is, after all, living the Morrison AUKUS dream.