Senator PRATT (Western Australia) (15:48): This afternoon the MPI we're debating is the reported views of members of the New South Wales Liberal Party, including that they see the Prime Minister to be 'the Prime Minister for Morrison and no-one else'—the Prime Minister for himself. What a divided bunch the Liberal Party are! All of us here already knew that. We've all been around this building and seen some of the bickering and side glances, but who would have thought that the Premier of the state of New South Wales, a stalwart in the Liberal Party and in the New South Wales Liberal Party—just like the Prime Minister—would be in open revolt? There is very apparent mutiny in the ranks. The Sydney Morning Herald on 28 August published a piece entitled 'Even Gladys Berejiklian is fed up with PM, who she privately regards as "evil" and a "bully"'. I must say that when I heard that even I was taken aback. After all, I said just last week that the Prime Minister was the Prime Minister for New South Wales. But, frankly, not even the Premier of New South Wales wants him as his Prime Minister. It is no surprise to hear someone calling the Prime Minister a bully—it's almost synonymous with his name at this point in terms of the many debates we've had in this place regarding his character—but evil is something quite new. And it's coming from one of the most senior Liberals in Australia, the Premier of Australia's largest state. I find that damning, and I find that very worrying. The nation should be worried that senior Liberals describe the leader of their party and the leader of the government in this way. It's all very well to say, 'Yes, we take it with a pinch of salt,' when the opposition rails against the policies of a government, when we rail against the decisions of a government and when we rail against the incompetence of this government. But, for our Prime Minister's character to be impugned in this way in public debate and on the public record, yes, our country should be worried. In the last year, we've heard the phrase from all over the country that the Prime Minister is the Prime Minister for Sydney, New South Wales, and nowhere else. He doesn't care about South Australians or Victorians. He called Queenslanders and Western Australians cave people. Now we're told by the Sydney Morning Herald that, among Premier Berejiklian's inner circle, the Prime Minister is considered a joke. It's a joke to consider the Prime Minister the Prime Minister for New South Wales, because New South Wales, in the inner circles, certainly doesn't regard him that way. They regard him as the Prime Minister for Morrison and no-one else. Let's break down why the Liberal Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, may think that the Liberal Prime Minister of Australia, Scott Morrison, is evil. We were told a few weeks ago that the Prime Minister's press office phoned political reporters backgrounding against Premier Berejiklian to try to push the pressure of a failing vaccination rate onto New South Wales, backgrounding against members of his own team. Our Prime Minister has certainly been feeling the heat. He and his government had failed to fulfil one of the two most crucial jobs this year, which is costing Australian lives. That job was vaccination and quarantine. But, like every other time our nation's Prime Minister has been put under pressure and held accountable, he crumbles and tries to shift the blame onto others. It's utterly pathetic. It's a low political tactic employed by those who can't stand behind their decisions and the consequences of their decisions. It is a tactic that our Prime Minister has employed over and over again, to background against people, undermine them and impugn their character. Prime Minister Morrison's attempt to shift blame onto Premier Berejiklian for the failed vaccination rollout could be one reason Premier Berejiklian might have for calling the Prime Minister evil. The ACTING DEPUTY PRESIDENT ( Senator Carol Brown ): Senator Pratt, I understand that you are quoting someone, but the President has ruled that we be careful of unparliamentary language, even if we are quoting documents. So I remind you of the President's ruling. Please continue. Senator PRATT: This is not the first time the Prime Minister's staff have been accused of backgrounding against Premier Berejiklian and many other people. They were seen to be backgrounding against the Premier during the horrific New South Wales bushfires some two years ago. I think this is utterly shameless. We even have a quote from one of Premier Berejiklian's loyalists saying: Usually he briefs against her for doing her job with some measure of competence. But then went on to say: He doesn't like the contrast – he makes himself look big by trying to make others look small. These are the actions of every awful male manager you have ever had: shirking responsibility, pushing the blame onto others and trying to steal the success of others who are just trying to competently do their own job. I have to say that that awful relationship management is perhaps why Queensland Premier Palaszczuk decided to dump Morrison's failed hotel quarantine system and instead build dedicated cabin facilities. Queensland needed to go ahead and do it because the Prime Minister wouldn't take responsibility for it. They didn't go through Prime Minister Morrison, and I guess it may be the same for Premier Berejiklian. If it all works then the Prime Minister will walk away with the glory—it's the PM's doing. If it fails, without a doubt our Prime Minister will always seek to blame someone else: the premiers of the states. This is completely unacceptable behaviour for a national leader. I have to say I can only assume that those senators opposite must feel a sense of shame in having to put up with this circus. As for Western Australia, I can tell you right now that the Prime Minister is winning no friends in my home state. Alongside the outrageous 'cave people' comment from last week, we now have the Prime Minister undermining Premier McGowan. The Premier who has been doing his best to keep Australians safe and healthy is being undermined by a two-bit Prime Minister who is trying to deflect the blame. We are witnessing before our eyes the breakdown of the national cabinet system, and it is the Prime Minister's fault. He can't run from this one and he can't shift the blame. New South Wales thinks the Prime Minister is—I can't quote it, but we heard it in the news. Queensland is just getting on with the job without him, and WA is doing its utter best to keep Western Australians safe in the face of a Prime Minister who desperately wants to drag Western Australia into the COVID disaster gripping Australia. It is a matter of grave public interest that this Prime Minister starts cooperating with the states and working in the interests of all Australians. This should mean no more backgrounding when the going gets tough, no more blaming and blame-shifting from the Prime Minister—from those in the top job and around him—no seeking glory when it is undeserved and no more undermining of premiers like Mark McGowan, who I'm proud to say has done a very good job keeping Western Australia one of the safest places in the world during this pandemic. I know that we all face risks and that it could happen to any state at any time, but I have to say that Western Australia has done more than most and certainly more than New South Wales to keep itself safe.