Scott Morrison will warn against a ‘drift of secularism’ and encourage Australians to reconnect with traditional Christian values in his final speech as a federal politician.
The former prime minister will on Tuesday deliver his valedictory speech to parliament after announcing his retirement in January.
Mr Morrison, who served as Australia’s 30th Prime Minister from 2018 to 2020, is expected to reflect on his 16-year political career rather than defend his controversial legacy.
He will also use his farewell to urge for people to unite to “stand with Israel as we stand with Ukraine” and alert against authoritarianism in China, Russia, North Korea and Iran.
“One does not need to share my faith to appreciate the virtue of human rights, and nor am I suggesting that,” he told The Australian.
“But equally, we should be careful about diminishing the influence and voice of Judaeo-Christian faith in our Western society, as doing so risks our society drifting into a valueless void.
Upon leaving parliament at the end of the month, Mr Morrison is expected to join US consulting firm American Global Strategies and AUKUS investor DYNE Maritime, alongside former US secretary of state and ex-CIA director Mike Pompeo.
He will also a publish a book titled ‘Plans For Your Good: A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness’ in May.
Ban on Aussie wine to be lifted
China’s restrictions on Australian wine and lobster are due to be lifted next month, in a significant step likely flush billions of dollars back into the economy and offer reprieve to struggling winemakers.
Trade Minister Don Farrell met with his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on the sidelines of the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference in Abu Dhabi this week.
It comes after China agreed to lift the 80 per cent tariff it had imposed on barley from Australia in August last year.
China blocked imports of Australian products including wine, coal, timber and barley in 2020 after former prime minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of Covid-19.
The tax on Australian bottled wine saw a trade worth $898 million in 2020 fall to just $8.1 million in the year to June 2023.
After high-level talks, it’s expected China will lift its 218 per cent tax imposed on most Australian wine in April 2020, which effectively brought an export flow worth more than $1bn per year to a shuddering halt.
It will also mark a significant thawing of relations between the two countries following Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Beijing last year.