Rumours are swirling regarding former Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s future in Australian politics, after sources revealed a new job may be on the horizon.
Sources have alleged a major UK company in the defence sector has approached the former liberal leader’s associates in a bid to determine his interest in a senior role.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports the undisclosed company is interested in Mr Morrison’s landmark security AUKUS deal, which he approved while in office alongside the United Kingdom and United States.
The member for Cook – an electorate situated in Sydney’s south – has reportedly been planning to step away from politics for some time.
This could be as soon as next week, with several liberal members telling The Sydney Morning Herald in the last month that Mr Morrison is expected to quit between the May 9 budget and end of the year.
“He won’t go until it is locked in but it is fair to say he is actively seeking life after politics,” one of those sources told the news site.
“It’s in the AUKUS space based out of the UK.”
Such a move could see Mr Morrison jetting off overseas to the UK once a month, while his wife Jenny and two teenage daughters Abbey and Lily remain in Sydney.
While the job offer is yet to be finalised, Mr Morrison didn’t deny he was seeking employment opportunities outside of his electorate.
“I’m very engaged with things in my local electorate and enjoying being back in my local community,” he told the platform.
On the occasion he does leave, a by-election will take place in his seat of Cook which he has held for 15 years since 2007.
However, It’s believed Mr Morrison will only part ways with politics once he obtains a secure role, with a source saying he is “ready to go” but it has to be for “the right thing”.
Mr Morrison led Australia as the 30th prime minister from 2018 to 2022, before he was outvoted by Labor leader and now current Prime Minister Anthony Albanese – ending the Liberal party’s nine-year reign.
He stepped down as the party’s leader following his loss at the 2022 federal election, and was replaced by current Opposition Leader and former home affairs and defence minister Peter Dutton.
Mr Morrison’s likely departure from politics isn’t unusual for a former prime minister, with his predecessors Malcolm Turnbull and Tony Abbott also choosing to leave politics after stepping down from the role.
According to LinkedIn, Mr Turnbull who held the top position between 2015 and 2018, is now a managing director for financial investment company Turnbull & Partners.
He has also fulfilled the role of global senior advisor for American investment firm KKR & Co, commencing the job on June 1, 2019.
Meanwhile Tony Abbott became an advisor to the UK government’s Board of Trade following his departure from office, before recently joining the board for the Global Warming Policy Foundation.
Former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd was appointed president and CEO of Asia Society in January 2021, after a long stint as the president of the Asia Society Policy Institute.
He was also recently named as the Ambassador of Australia to the United States.
As for the first female Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, she has severed ties with politics and now serves as the Chair of Beyond Blue.
She also holds the positions of Chair of the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership and Chair of global charitable health organisation Wellcome.