Scott Morrison has choked back tears as he addressed his church hours after conceding election defeat in what he said would be “the last thing I say as PM”.
The outgoing prime minister said he had experienced “a very difficult walk over the last four years”, thanking members of his Horizon church at Sutherland for their support and reading a Bible verse.
“We’re called to trust and obey. And that’s the life of faith,” he said.
Morrison returned to the Pentecostal church, in his home electorate of Cook, on Sunday morning. It was the same church he invited journalists to during the 2019 election campaign to watch him pray and sing.
Morrison thanked “our church family” for himself, his wife, Jenny, and their two daughters.
“You’ve given us a great foundation from which we could walk what has been a very difficult walk, I’ve got to tell you, over the last almost four years,” he said.
“God calls us. Whether you’re a prime minister, a pastor, running a business, teaching in schools, or working in the police force, it doesn’t matter. We’re each called to trust and obey, and that’s the life of faith He calls us to. That’s how we live our faith, regardless of our job, and express it through how you do that.”
Morrison grew emotional during his three-minute address, appearing to choke back tears, putting his hand up and slightly slumping.
He referees from a Bible verse, heeding the term “for such a time as this” from a Bihat God places people in specific situations to carry out tasks.
“At the last election, we understood it was for this time. And now we understand it was for such a time as that,” Morrison said, to laughs from the crowd.
“I’m very pleased that the last thing I say as PM is here. So I’m not going to rely on my own words,” he said, again choking back tears as he read off his phone from the Bible verse Habakkuk 3:17.
“Even if the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines, if the yield of the olive fails and if the fields produce no food, even if the flock disappears from the fold and there are no cattle in the stalls, yet I will triumph in the Lord. I will rejoice in the God of my salvation,” Morrison read.
In a second reading from the Book of Micah, Morrison quoted, “My God will hear me. Do not rejoice over me, the enemy of mine. Though I fall, I will rise. Though I live in darkness, the Lord is a light for me.”
“May God bless Australia. May God bless our community. And may God continue to show his favor on this wonderful church family,” he said as he left the stage.
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He had been introduced on stage by the church pastor Brad Bonhomme, who called Morrison a “man of integrity” and a “man of courage”.
“History will celebrate the courage of Scott Morrison,” the pastor said. Bonhomme claimed a person who “heads up a television station on Foxtel” had called him recently, asking him to pass on thanks to Morrison for the job keeper wage subsidy program through the Covid pandemic.
“Scott, Jenny, Horizon church celebrates you,” Bonhomme said.
In his Saturday night concession speech, Morrison had said he “still [believes] in miracles”, a callback to his 2019 victory speech.
In an Instagram post on Sunday afternoon, Morrison again referenced his faith, saying he would “serve my local community”.
“We are blessed to live in such a great country. The resilience and strength of Australians, supported by our policies, have ensured that we have prevailed as a nation in difficult times. How good is Australia!” he wrote.
“I wish Mr. Albanese and his government all the best for future challenging times.”
“I am now looking forward to returning to the shire, my family, and continuing to serve my local community. Life has always been about faith, family, friends, and community. We are not our jobs but who we are as unique individuals (in my view), loved by God.”
“Jenny and I thank Australia for the honor to have served. I thank my family, friends, and colleagues for all their support, especially my dearest friend Josh Frydenberg.”
