Morrison government

Morrison government
In office
24 August 2018 – 23 May 2022
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Governor-General	Sir Peter Cosgrove (24 August 2018 – 1 July 2019) David Hurley (1 July 2019 – 1 July 2024)
Prime Minister	Scott Morrison
Deputy	Barnaby Joyce
Party	Liberal and National (Coalition)
Status	Minority (October 2018 – May 2019; February 2021 – May 2022) Majority (August 2018 – October 2018; May 2019 – February 2021)[a]
Origin	Morrison wins second 2018 Liberal leadership spill
Demise	Morrison loses 2022 Australian federal election
Predecessor	Turnbull government
Successor	Albanese Government

This article is part of a series about Scott Morrison
Early life and career Member for Cook (2007–2024) Abbott government Abbott Ministry Turnbull government First Turnbull Ministry Second Turnbull Ministry 2018 Liberal Party leadership spills Prime Minister of Australia (International trips) First Ministry Second Ministry 2019–20 Australian fires Sports rorts affair COVID-19 pandemic in Australia Brereton Report Parliament House sexual misconduct allegations AUKUS 2022 eastern Australia floods Ministerial positions controversy Royal Commissions Banking Aged Care People with Disability Elections 2019 2022 The quiet Australians
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The Morrison government was the federal executive government of Australia, led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison of the Liberal Party of Australia, between 2018 and 2022. The Morrison government commenced on 24 August 2018, when it was sworn in by the Governor-General of Australia.^[1] It was composed of members of the Liberal–National Coalition and succeeded the Abbott (2013–2015) and Turnbull (2015–2018) coalition governments in office, competing against the Australian Labor Party as the major Opposition party. Nationals Leader Michael McCormack was Deputy Prime Minister of Australia from the formation of the Morrison government until June 2021. He was replaced as Leader of the Nationals and Deputy Prime Minister by Barnaby Joyce.

Scott Morrison was Treasurer in the Turnbull government and became Prime Minister following the resignation of Malcolm Turnbull in 2018. The Coalition had been led to government at the 2013 Election by Tony Abbott, however Malcolm Turnbull became Prime Minister by challenging Abbott in 2015. Turnbull then led the Coalition to a narrow victory at the 2016 Election, and resigned in the midst of a challenge to his leadership by Minister for Home Affairs Peter Dutton in 2018. Turnbull then quit Parliament, plunging the Coalition into minority government following the 2018 Wentworth by-election. Elected leader of the Liberals over Dutton in the 2018 spill, Morrison then restored the Coalition to majority government at the 2019 Election.

With the commencement of the Morrison government, Josh Frydenberg replaced Julie Bishop as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and replaced Morrison as Treasurer in the First Morrison Ministry, while Marise Payne took over from Bishop as Foreign Minister. Frydenberg and Payne remained in their posts in the Second Morrison Ministry, which was notable for including Ken Wyatt as Minister for Indigenous Australians – the first Aboriginal Australian to sit in Federal Cabinet – and seven women members, which was the largest number of women Cabinet members in Australian history.^[2][3]

In economic affairs, after producing the lowest federal budget deficit in a decade, Treasurer Frydenberg predicted a small surplus in the 2019 Federal Budget, however the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to a dramatic increase in government expenditure and a brief recession by September 2020. Pandemic management became a core focus of the Morrison government, which instigated tight border controls, convened a National Cabinet to co-ordinate State and Territory government responses, and initiated a program of income support for business and workers. Two years into the pandemic, Australia had achieved one of the lowest death rates and highest vaccination rates in the world. In February 2022, the Morrison government announced a re-opening of borders to international tourist travel.^[4] By the fourth Frydenberg Budget in March 2022 ahead of the 2022 Election, Australia’s unemployment rate was at 4% and projected to drop to 3.75%, its lowest figure in 50 years.^[5]

In trade and international affairs, the Morrison government concluded free trade agreements with Indonesia, the United Kingdom and India. In the Indo-Pacific region, Morrison launched the Pacific Step-Up initiative to increase engagement with Pacific Island nations, and revived the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue with Japan, India and United States. He also signed the AUKUS trilateral security pact with the United Kingdom and the United States to increase defence co-operation. The period was marked by a deterioration in bilateral relations with the increasingly autocratic Xi Jinping government in China, with Australia calling for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 and China responding with trade sanctions.^[6] Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Morrison committed Australian military, diplomatic and humanitarian aid to support Ukraine's efforts to repel the Russian attack.

Morrison called the 2022 federal election on 10 April 2022, to be held on 21 May. After the majority of votes had been counted on election night, it became clear that the Coalition had no path to forming government. Morrison conceded the election, also announcing he would step down as leader of the Liberal Party. Labor leader Anthony Albanese was sworn in as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia on 23 May 2022.

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