The Players

Jock Cameron.
The Brothers in Christ.

Jock Cameron ran the National Prayer Breakfast at Parliament House for almost a decade. Scott Morrison thanked him by name on his way out.

This is the circle he thanked, and the jobs some of them got.

Newsprint cut-out of a cross.

The Prayer Breakfast

  1. About a decadeA team led by Jock Cameron, with a bipartisan group of members and senators, organises the National Prayer Breakfast at Parliament House.[2]
  2. 15 June 2011Senator Guy Barnett’s valedictory speech thanks the parliamentary fellowship that meets on Monday nights, and the National Student Leadership Forum.[4]
  3. 2016As an associate of the US Fellowship, the group behind the American National Prayer Breakfast, Cameron invites Kevin Rudd to the breakfast in Washington.[3]
  4. September 2019Morrison asks for Hillsong founder Brian Houston to join him at the White House state dinner. The White House says no.[10]
  5. 14 October 2019At the National Prayer Breakfast, Morrison thanks the Parliamentary Christian Fellowship for organising it.[5]

The People He Thanked

From Morrison’s valedictory speech, 27 February 2024.[1] “To my Christian pastors, Brad and Alison Bonhomme, to Mike and Val Murphy, to Joel and Julia A’bell, to Jock Cameron and to my brothers in Christ, Andrew Scipione, John Anderson and Lloyd Thomas … thank you for your prayers, your counsel and your encouragement.”

Friends named in the speech

  • Adrian Harrington, his old university friend. Made chair of the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation from 19 July 2021.[6][7]
  • Karen Harrington, Adrian’s wife.[1]
  • David Gazard, lobbyist and close confidant.[6]
  • Scott Briggs, lobbyist and his conference chairman. Absent after the Herald published his messages with Home Affairs secretary Mike Pezzullo.[1][6]
  • Peter Verwer, his old boss at the Property Council. Made his Special Envoy for Global Business and Talent Attraction in 2020.[6][8]
  • Lynelle Stewart, best friend of Jenny Morrison. Her husband Tim Stewart became Australia’s most prominent follower of the QAnon conspiracy theory.[1][9]
  • Arthur and Ingrid Ilias, and Bill and Anne Knock.[1]

Brothers in Christ

  • Jock Cameron, National Prayer Breakfast organiser.[1][2]
  • Andrew Scipione, former NSW Police Commissioner.[1][6]
  • John Anderson and Lloyd Thomas.[1]
  • Pastors Brad and Alison Bonhomme, Mike and Val Murphy, and Joel and Julia A’bell.[1]

Questions for a Real NACC

  • Who in this circle got government appointments, contracts, grants or tax breaks while he was prime minister.
  • Who the National Prayer Breakfast and the parliamentary fellowship bring into Parliament House, and who pays.
  • What Tim Stewart asked of the prime minister’s office, and what he got.
  • Who recommended Adrian Harrington and Peter Verwer for their jobs.
Scott MorrisonMinister of everything. Read it The PlayersEveryone on the list. Read it

Sources

  1. Scott Morrison, valedictory speech, House of Representatives, 27 February 2024. https://www.scottmorrison.com.au/speeches/o45co3gxawkxjq2sbcgk79oszevph8
  2. National Prayer Breakfast, Past breakfasts. https://nationalprayerbreakfast.org/past-breakfasts/
  3. Jonathan Larsen, C Street: in the beginning, Substack. https://jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/c-street-in-the-beginning
  4. Senate Hansard, valedictory, Senator Guy Barnett, 15 June 2011. https://www.openaustralia.org.au/senate/?id=2011-06-15.172.2
  5. Scott Morrison, Remarks, National Prayer Breakfast, 14 October 2019. https://www.scottmorrison.com.au/speeches/remarks-national-prayer-breakfast
  6. Sydney Morning Herald, CBD, Scott Morrison says goodbye with a little help from his friends, 28 February 2024. https://www.smh.com.au/cbd/scott-morrison-says-goodbye-with-a-little-help-from-his-friends-20240227-p5f88j.html
  7. NHFIC, Annual Report 2022 (appointment of Adrian Harrington as Chair from 19 July 2021). https://www.housingaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2022-11/NHFIC%20Annual%20Report%202022%20Accessible%20and%20locked.pdf
  8. Alan Tudge, Announcing the Global Business and Talent Attraction Taskforce, 4 September 2020. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/announcing-global-business-talent-attraction-taskforce-alan-tudge
  9. ABC News, QAnon follower and old friend of Scott Morrison: the Stewart family speaks, 14 June 2021. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-14/qanon-follower-old-friend-scott-morrison-stewart-family-speaks/100125156
  10. ABC News, Scott Morrison wanted Hillsong pastor Brian Houston at White House, 22 September 2019. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-22/scott-morrison-hillsong-pastor-brian-houston-white-house/11536792

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