ABC presenter Virginia Trioli took Scott Morrison to task during a fiery interview on Tuesday’s News Breakfast show.
In a furious tirade, she accused the Prime Minister of being ‘rather casual about accountability and transparency and seemingly unaccountable about value for taxpayer money.’
Mr Morrison defended himself, saying Ms Trioli was being ‘over the top.’
The host was quizzing the PM over the government’s decision to buy $80million of water in August 2017 from a company which was registered in a tax haven.
The company – Eastern Australian Agriculture – was founded by Energy Minister Angus Taylor and had donated $55,000 to the Liberal Party four years earlier.
The purchase was approved by then water minister Barnaby Joyce.
Mr Morrison said the deal was all above board and defended Mr Joyce by saying he ‘relied on the advice provided by his department.’
‘That department conducted those negotiations at arm’s length and inquired into the relevant matters required,’ he said.
‘The minister has acted in accordance with the legislation.’
But Ms Trioli took issue with that explanation, saying Mr Joyce was intimately involved in the process.
‘He put three conditions on the negotiations,’ she said.
‘He wanted advice on the impacts to employment in the region and then he wanted the department to “report back to me on this and seek financial approval before settling the purchase”.
‘Was it arm’s length and not his job or did he want all this detail and this close involvement in the matter?’
Mr Morrison replied saying that level of scrutiny from a minister was normal.
ABC presenter Virginia Trioli took Scott Morrison to task during a fiery interview on Tuesday’s News Breakfast show
He said: ‘The very things you have talked about are the very things that are routinely dealt with under those buybacks, the same things that were dealt with…
‘He was involved in it,’ Ms Trioli interjected.
‘Wouldn’t you want to know what the impact on jobs was?’ Mr Morrison retorted.
Ms Trioli again asked: ‘In him wanting to know that, he was not involved at arm’s length. Correct?’
Mr Morrison then switched his line of defence, saying that Labor made a deal with the same company when it was in power.
Labor has said their deal was different because there was a bidding process.
Mr Morrison said: ‘He was dealing with a legal entity. There is no suggestion that the company that was involved in the transaction was not a legal entity.
‘The Labor Party did a deal with the same company. There was no questions raised about the integrity of the company with which Labor did a deal.
‘Why would there be questions raised if the Liberal Party does one? I am not sure what the double standard is there.’
Ms Trioli replied: ‘I will share with you potentially another double standard there and that is the government’s at pains to criticise Labor for everything but now you’re prepared to rely 100 per cent on Labor and they are the font of all wisdom and truth when it suits you in this particular issue?’
‘I’m not quite sure the accusation you’re making there,’ Mr Morrison said before Ms Trioli interrupted: ‘You’re saying Labor did it so therefore it is fine for the government to do it?’
‘If you let me answer the question,’ Mr Morrison said before insisting the plan to buy water was a bipartisan initiative and not the scheme of any one minister or government.
‘Undertaking the buybacks are set out and administered by the department and done at arm’s length. That has been done under both governments,’ he said.
Mr Morrison (pictured on the show) said the deal was all above board and defended Mr Joyce by saying he ‘relied on the advice provided by his department.’
Ms Trioli then quizzed him on the fact that the company in question – Cayman Islands registered Eastern Australia Agriculture – donated $55,000 to the Liberal Party in 2013.
She asked: ‘We now learn that the company at the centre of that buy back, Eastern Australia Agriculture, donated $55,000 to the Liberal Party before the 2013 election. Does that cause you discomfort today?’
Mr Morrison replied: ‘It is a fully disclosable donation. Donations are disclosable in Australia. There is no evidence to suggest that played any role in this arrangement. Are you suggesting that?’
Ms Trioli asked: ‘Do you see the impression it causes?’ and Mr Morrison retorted: ‘No, I am saying that I would think the department that negotiated this at arm’s length – remember this was initiated by the Queensland Government, this entire buy back.
‘We have heard that several times,’ Ms Trioli said.
Mr Morrison continued: ‘I don’t see how that would have played any role and I don’t think there is any serious suggestion that that would have played any role. I don’t see how it would?
Ms Trioli said: ‘It is being reported today as being a serious suggestion, so the question for you is this…
‘I would say that would be a misinformed suggestion,’ Mr Morrison interrupted.
The purchase was approved by then water minister Barnaby Joyce (pictured with his girlfriend Vikki Campion)
‘Sure,’ Ms Triol said before launching a tirade against Mr Morrison.
‘You said on January 14 on this program, that you’re a Prime Minister for standards. Is this the standard that we should accept from you, rather casual about accountability and transparency and seemingly unaccountable about value for taxpayer money?’
Mr Morrison replied: ‘Virginia, I think they’re pretty strong accusations you have just made without providing any foundation for them.
‘What I have simply said is the strategic water buyback program has been run strictly in accordance with the rules and accountability and reviews by the Auditor-General.
‘I don’t know how you could make those allegations in the way that you have. I would seem to think that would be over the top from you.’
Ms Trioli then rounded up the interview, saying: ‘We will see what the court of public opinion thinks. Thanks for making time for us today.’
‘We will see what the Auditor-General says,’ Mr Morrison said with a smile.
The Auditor-General has been asked by the government to review all water buy backs since 2008.
Twitter users sided with Ms Trioli, saying her questioning was excellent and Mr Morrison’s answers were inadequate.
Many said it is not an excuse to say Mr Joyce did not know what he was signing.
‘When in doubt, blame someone else. He was the minister, buck stops with him,’ one wrote.
Ms Trioli made headlines in 2009 after she was forced to apologise for making a gesture to indicate Barnaby Joyce was crazy during a live cross.
She apologised to Mr Joyce and said: ‘Yes, it was off-air and an uncharacteristically frustrated moment from me, and the senator was very gracious in accepting my apology. Lesson learned.’
Mr Joyce laughed off the incident saying that he might in fact be ‘crazy’ and believed Ms Trioli was ‘frustrated with [his] approach’.
In 2017, the government bought 28.7 gigalitres of water from two Queensland-based properties owned by Eastern Australian Agriculture, Clyde and Kia Ora, at a record cost of $78.9 million.
Barnaby Joyce and his ex-wife Natalie in 2017
The company was co-founded by Energy Minister Angus Taylor, who says he has had nothing to do with it since entering parliament and received no benefit from the sale.
Eastern Australia Agriculture’s parent company is based in the Cayman Islands, a well-known tax haven.
Labor has left the door open to supporting a Greens push for a royal commission into the Murray-Darling Basin Plan.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mr Joyce said he didn’t care if a royal commission investigated the issue because he was ‘absolutely confident’ in his position.
‘So go right ahead, knock yourself out, have the inquiry,’ the former deputy prime minister told ABC Radio National on Monday.
Labor has demanded more information on the purchase from the Agriculture and Water Resources Department by 5pm on Tuesday.
‘There’s a chaos around everything Barnaby Joyce does normally, but this one ranks right off the scale,’ opposition water spokesman Tony Burke told the ABC.
He said if the department’s material didn’t provide an explanation then Labor would look at a wide-ranging inquiry with coercive powers.
Mr Morrison said the water buyback program had been run strictly within the rules and subject to regular reviews by the auditor-general.
He noted the previous Labor government had dealt with Eastern Australia Agriculture, citing a separate $300 million water purchase.
Labor argues the difference is that its buybacks were conducted through a competitive tender process.
Mr Morrison has also defended Energy Minister Angus Taylor, who was once a director of Eastern Australia Agriculture.
Mr Taylor co-founded the company that sold the water but said he’d had nothing to do with it since entering parliament and received no benefit from the sale.
Mr Joyce said the federal government had acted on a recommendation from the Queensland government, which confirmed it backed the buyback.