London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Australia: PM labeled ‘complete psycho’ by govt colleague – leaked texts

Australia: PM labeled ‘complete psycho’ by govt colleague – leaked texts

Australia's PM Scott Morrison appears to have been severely criticized in leaked messages between a fellow politician and a cabinet minister
Australian premier Scott Morrison came in for what appears to be very bad criticism from colleagues on Tuesday, when an allegedly explosive exchange of texts between former premier of New South Wales (NSW) Gladys Berejiklian and an unnamed cabinet minister was voiced to him by a famous reporter.

In the leaked dialogue, Morrison is referred-to as a “horrible, horrible person” who places politics above the people, and as a “complete psycho.”

Aired live on television, the alleged quotes were put to the prime minister at the National Press Club by political editor of Network Ten and The Australian columnist Peter van Onselen.

“I’ve got them right here. In one [Berejiklian] describes you as ‘a horrible, horrible person,’ going on to say she did not trust you and you’re more concerned with politics than people,” van Onselen said. “The [serving Liberal cabinet] minister is even more scathing, describing you as a ‘fraud’ and ‘a complete psycho’," he added, asking Morrison to comment.

Confronted, Morrison responded he didn’t know the issuer or the “basis” behind the alleged criticism, adding, “I obviously don’t agree with it, and I don’t think that is my record.”

Berejiklian, who recently stepped down from her role as NSW premier amid a corruption scandal, said in a statement she had “no recollection” of the messages and voiced support for the PM.

However, Network Ten revealed more leaked texts, in which Morrison’s handling of the national crisis during the so-called Black Summer bushfires is slammed, in an exchange apparently between the same parties. The PM, according to a ‘Berejiklian’ text, was “just obsessed with petty political point scoring” when “lives [were] at stake,” while her fellow minister is reported to have written “the mob have worked him out and think he’s a fraud.”

Morrison has been previously criticized over his handling of the bushfire crisis, and there have been tensions between him and the former NSW premier, in particular over management of the Covid-19 pandemic. Australia is expected to have a major federal election this spring, and national polls have shown the PM’s and his Liberal-Nationals coalition’s ratings falling to their lowest in years.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×