Scott Morrison with Jen and the girls for Easter service at Horizon Church in Sutherland

By Bernard Turk On Apr 17, 2022

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has attended an Easter Sunday church service with his family on day seven of the election campaign.

Mr Morrison, his wife Jenny and daughters Lily and Abbey arrived at the Horizon Church in Sutherland, Sydney on Sunday morning.

Two days earlier, Labor leader Anthony Albanese mingled with Mrs Morrison at the St Charbel Maronite Church in Punchbowl, south-west Sydney, for Good Friday.

The Opposition Leader did a reading during at that service with former prime minister Tony Abbot also in the pews, while Mr Morrison went to the Syndal Baptist Church in Glen Waverley, Melbourne.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison, wife Jenny and daughters Abbey and Lily arrive for an Easter service at the Horizon Church in Sutherland (pictured)

Mr Morrison has been a member of the Pentecostal church for years

Mr Albanese sat in the front row of the congregation and across the aisle from Mrs Morrison and her daughters. He was all smiles as he mingled with Mr Abbott before approaching Mrs Morrison to say hello.

The first week of the election campaign for both Mr Albanese and Mr Morrison has been particularly hard fought.

In between church services, Mr Morrison visited Sydney’s Royal Easter Show on Saturday.

Despite Mr Morrison’s recent interactions with the public – including an angry voter who confronted him at a Newcastle pub – his reception at the show went smoothly.

The Prime Minister is in full campaign mode, having spent the day at the Royal Easter show on Saturday (pictured: Mr Morrison arriving at Horizon church)

Mr and Mrs Morrison greet Horizon Church Pastor Brad Bonhomme and wife Alison

Hundreds of punters got in on the action, battling the press pack to lay eyes on the man who has been running the country for the past three years.

The Prime Minister was more than happy to oblige with handshakes, selfies, waves and high fives.

Colleen, 57, from Sydney’s Northern Beaches said while she wasn’t going to vote for the Liberals in May, she still made a point of trying to see the prime minister when she realised he’d arrived.

‘I think it’s good to see (politicians) to know that they’re meeting people and talking … (but) I’m hoping to see a change at the next election,’ she said.

It was a sentiment shared by Matt, visiting from Canberra with his partner Raphael, who said meeting with the public was important.

Mrs Morrison and her daughters Abbey and Lily were seated in the front row and not far from former Liberal leader Tony Abbott and were greeted by Anthony Albanese at a Good Friday service in Sydney (pictured)

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese at the same Easter Service attended by Mrs Morrison and Mr Abbott

Mrs Morrison also did a reading during the Easter service at St Charbel Maronite Church on Good Friday

‘This is cool, everyone’s excited to see him and obviously he’s got security but I think this is one of the only countries in the world where you can get so close to a prime minister,’ he said.

But it wasn’t all smiles and selfies for the prime minister.

Mudgee-born Tiana, 30, told AAP despite the seemingly warm reception, she didn’t think the visit would change the public’s opinion on the past three years with him in the top job.

Mr Morrison shakes hands with parishioners at the Syndal Baptist Church in Glen Waverley in Melbourne on Friday

‘He still has a lot of issues, people in rural Australia would be aware of his positions on climate change and I doubt showing his face is changing their opinions,’ she said.

Brutal week of election campaign

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese and prime minister Scott Morrison have come out the end of a brutal first week of election campaigning.

Below is a short list of some of the blunders and mishaps to happen to both political leaders.

Anthony Albanese

Unemployment rate blunder

Mr Albanese admitted he ‘f***** up’ after getting the unemployment rate wrong in a cringeworthy blunder on national TV on Monday.

In a train-wreck press conference in Launceston, the Labor leader could not state the cash rate and then wrongly guessed the jobless rate was 5.4 per cent when it’s actually 4 per cent.

When questioned by a reporter in a later campaign stop in Devonport, Mr Albanese admitted: ‘Earlier today I made a mistake, I’m human, but when I make a mistake, I will fess up to it and I will set about correcting that mistake.’

Human rights commissioner slip-up

On Tuesday Mr Albanese was asked whether he had any concerns about the appointment of Human Rights Commissioner Lorraine Finlay and admitted he did not know who she was.

The blunder came after A Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) released a report raising concerns over appointments to the Australian Human Rights Commission.

‘At the risk of creating a headline, I don’t know who Ms Finlay is,’ he said.

‘I will look at that.’

Press conference cut short

Mr Albanese walked away from a very brief press conference on Wednesday in what signalled a strategy shift after previously saying he would give every reporter a chance to ask a question.

The Labor leader took only about 10 questions in Melbourne on Wednesday and then walked off, leaving journalists shouting ‘why aren’t you answering questions?’

On Monday Mr Albanese had told reporters everyone will get a question and said he won’t run away from pressers like Scott Morrison who usually only takes 10 or 12 questions.

‘I’m not Scott Morrison, I don’t run away from press conferences. Do it in order. Everyone will get one,’ he said.

Border policy backflip

Mr Albanese announced a major shift in border policy and ending offshore processing of illegal migrants, but then backflipped on the comments hours later.

‘We’ll turn boats back,’ Mr Albanese said at a media conference on Thursday. ‘Turning boats back means that you don’t need offshore detention.’

The Labor leader pulled back from the comments hours later after his views sparked incredulity from Peter Dutton, the Minister for Defence, who couldn’t believe the Labor leader made that statement.

Scott Morrison

Ban on trans women playing female sport

Mr Morrison was asked on Monday whether he intended to push through legislation that would outlaw trans athletes, if he’s re-elected on May 21.

He remained tight-lipped but said he fully-endorsed two Liberal Party women that have been vocal on the hot-button issue – Katherine Deves and Claire Chandler.

Deves, who co-founded a Save Women’s Sport group, recently came under fire for now-deleted tweets where she described transgender children as ‘surgically mutilated and sterilised’.

Mr Morrison changed his tune on the issue on Wednesday after Deves publicly apologised for her controversial tweets about trans people.

Private event ambush

Mr Morrison was ambushed during a private event at a western Sydney sports club on Tuesday night.

In footage uploaded to TikTok, Adisen Wright, a staunch Labor supporter, asks the Prime Minister for a photo, then if he can pose a question.

Mr Morrison asks if he is a member of the press pack to which the activist admits he is not a journalist, but instead a local with a friend behind the bar.

The prime minister says he will allow the question, but his demeanour quickly changes after he realises Mr Wright is filming at the private event.

‘Why are you recording?’ Mr Morrison asks the young man in disbelief.

Basketball to the face

Mr Morrison was smacked in the face with a basketball on Wednesday.

The Prime Minister was clipped by the ball during a visit to the Baierr Stadium in Torquay, 80km southwest of Melbourne, on Wednesday.

The awkward encounter unfolded during the third day of the election campaign, with video showing the ball skimming his nose and knocking off his glasses.

Security car crash

Four officers were injured after one of Mr Morrison’s security cars crashed and flipped on its side off the Bass Highway near Elizabeth Town, in northern Tasmania, on Thursday.

Police investigating say a Mitsubishi Triton crashed into the unmarked police car while merging.

Mr Morrison pulled out of further events on day four of the election campaign.

In a statement he wished the officers a quick recovery, writing: ‘Our police do an amazing job in keeping us all safe… They are selfless, professional and incredibly generous. I hope to hear further good news about their condition.

Broken promise on Integrity Commission

Mr Morrison denied breaking his promise to establish an integrity commission from the 2019 election, despite not introducing legislation during the three year term.

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