By Jake Evans for ABC
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison says being the subject of "nasty" comments is a regular part of leading the country, as he attempts to shake off a second day of questions about a reported text exchange between his colleagues.
Scott Morrison has previously described Berejiklian as "a good friend". Photo: AFP
An alleged conversation between a "senior Liberal cabinet minister" and former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian was relayed live on air by Channel Ten's political editor Peter Van Onselen yesterday.
Berejiklian reportedly described the Prime Minister as a "horrible, horrible person", with the minister responding he was a "complete psycho".
The ABC has not seen or verified the text exchange.
Berejiklian has not denied the conversation, but said yesterday she had no recollection of it.
Asked again about the messages today, Morrison said he had not spoken to Berejiklian, but they had a good relationship.
"It's always been very positive and I think we've worked very well together," Morrison said.
"Of course people say nasty things about you as Prime Minister all the time.
"Just switch on your social media feed and you'll get yourself quite a giggle, I get one all the time, it comes with the job."
Morrison repeated that he could not respond to the substance of "anonymous" messages.
He said he had "confidence" the reported Liberal minister was not in his cabinet.
Current NSW Premier derides reports as 'smear and gossip'
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese described the alleged exchange as "extraordinary text messages from the people who know Scott Morrison the best".
"These are people who observed him," Albanese said.
But Berejiklian's successor, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet, was fiery in his defence of the Prime Minister as he called the story "smear and gossip".
"I've had my disagreements with the Prime Minister, I have disagreements with other premiers, Labor or Liberal. That is only natural in the course of a pandemic," Perrottet said.
"I have always found the Prime Minister to be a thoroughly decent man.
"To have news now reported from unsubstantiated text messages I think is terrible. We should be asking the Prime Minister about policy."
The Australian Prime Minister has previously described Berejiklian as "a good friend".
At the end of last year, Morrison publicly appealed for Berejiklian to run in the federal seat of Warringah, the seat once held by former prime minister Tony Abbott but now held by independent Zali Steggall.
The former premier later stated she would not be running.
- ABC