Scott Morrison vulnerable on integrity commission, ACM readers poll finds

The two most important qualities respondents are looking for in a Prime Minister - by an overwhelming margin - are that they be "honest and trustworthy" and "accountable and responsible".

These are areas on which Mr Morrison, a former marketing expert often derisively tagged "Scotty from marketing", has come in for repeated criticism.

Commentators and political opponents have frequently noted he is reluctant to accept responsibility for policy failures and that he has a tendency to blame others. Mr Morrison has also been criticised for spinning the facts and, on occasion, accused of lying outright.

When Mr Morrison was asked at a recent National Press Club appearance if he would say sorry for the nation's lack of preparedness for the Omicron wave - even though the government had known its like was coming - he dodged the question. His defence was along the lines of "everybody makes mistakes" and "nobody can get it right all the time".

Mr Morrison's tendency to deflect the blame to others was also on show when he allowed his wife Jenny to take the blame during a recent 60 Minutes interview for the family's ill-fated Hawaiian trip during the "black summer" bushfires. Many of those watching would have found it very hard to believe the PM had no say in the decision.

When it comes to his personal veracity it is hard to think of another Prime Minister who has been accused of telling lies and half-truths on so many occasions. In 2021 the French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron's response "I don't think, I know" in response to a question about whether or not Mr Morrison had lied to him about the submarine deal made global headlines.

This year we have seen two leaked text exchanges in which senior colleagues, including his Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian were scathing about his personal credibility.

Coming on top of Mr Morrison's failure to deliver on key election promises - including a federal integrity commission - this is not a good look given a majority of voters have said they want a leader who says what they mean and means what they say.

That said, in the Prime Minister's defence, as the person at the head of the government during what has been a very challenging two-and-a-half years, he has been confronted with a unique tranche of problems including the drought, the bushfires, then COVID-19 and most recently floods.

Opposition leaders don't have to make the big decisions on the run - often with insufficient information - and are wise after the event. While often pledging bi-partisanship on issues such as national security, and elements of the COVID response, Mr Albanese has not been averse to damning the government with faint praise whenever the opportunity presents.

Voters will also have doubts about how genuine the ALP is about winding back the tax policies it took the last election.

While Mr Albanese has not quite topped Mr Morrison in the preferred Prime Minister stakes (42 per cent to 40 per cent) he has made up a remarkable amount of ground and now has an approval rating of 44 per cent compared to Mr Morrison's 43 per cent.

The Prime Minister's big challenge is to win back the trust of the electorate between now and mid-May.

While some may think the war in Ukraine and recent natural disasters will play to his strengths it is possible too much damage has already been done.

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