Scott Morrison has been spotted on his European holiday, patiently waiting for a ferry in scorching temperatures, just weeks after being convicted in the Robodebt scandal in a royal commission report.
The former prime minister, his wife Jenny and their two daughters boarded a Seajets ferry at 12.15 local time on Wednesday at Sifnos, in Greece’s Cyclades Islands, as the country has been ravaged by a scorching heat wave and temperatures above 41C .
The trip, with ticket prices starting at €65 ($107 AUD), takes travelers on a two-and-a-half journey to Athens, with stops at a few Greek islands along the way.
Mr Morrison, used to traveling on Royal Australian Air Force VIP jets, sat in a cramped space with other passengers and their luggage under the hot sun for about 30 minutes as he waited to board.
He wore a navy blue polo, beige shorts, Ray-Ban sunglasses and had a white cap on his luggage while listening to audio on his AirPods.
Scott Morrison is pictured sitting in a cramped space waiting for a ferry in scorching temperatures on the Greek island of Sifnos
The ferry, with ticket prices starting at €65 ($107AUD), takes travelers on a two-and-a-half journey from Sifnos to Athens, with stops at a few Greek islands along the way
One of the passengers on the boat, who declined to be named, told Daily Mail Australia that the former prime minister did not want to be recognized.
“At first it was hard to spot him because he kept his head down a lot,” the person said.
“He was very aware of those around him and may not have wanted to be recognized as the islands are popular with Australian travellers.”
Scomo had his AirPods on and didn’t really say much to his family. Most of the time he had his head in his phone, maybe to keep his head down.’
The traveler noticed that his attitude was completely different from that of his wife.
“Mrs Morrison was eagerly awaiting the ferry’s arrival and was in good spirits – speaking to the other passengers and giving them advice on where the ferry would stop,” they said.
“Mr. Morrison was a little more reserved, fearful by nature, and only mumbled a few words to his family.”
The former prime minister and his family waited to board the plane with their luggage, sitting among the other passengers
A passenger who was on the same ferry told Daily Mail Australia that Mr Morrison did not want to be recognized as he put his head down and turned his attention to his phone.
He wore a navy blue polo, beige shorts, Ray-Ban sunglasses and had a white cap on his luggage while listening to audio on his AirPods
The scene was very different from when Mr Morrison would be driven around in chauffeur-driven cars flanked by security during his tenure as Prime Minister.
The passenger added that the Morrisons “sprinted to stow their luggage below deck” once passengers were allowed to board the ferry.
They then lined up to be seated in a smaller premium class cabin with fewer than 20 seats.
“The family was all healthy tan and looked like this wasn’t the first stop on their European summer vacation,” the person said.
‘If they don’t spend a few nights in Athens, they’ll probably catch a flight to some other exotic destination. It seems they travel modestly, as they take a commercial ferry.’
The Morrisons then disembarked in Athens to continue their family vacation.
The traveler noted that the attitude of the former prime minister was completely different from that of his wife. While she was “in a good mood” and “conversed with the other passengers,” he was “more reserved, with an anxious disposition, and only mumbled a few words to his family”
They added that the Morrisons “made a sprint to store their luggage below deck” once passengers were allowed to board the ferry
The scene was very different from Mr Morrison boarding Royal Australian Air Force VIP Jets or being driven around in chauffeured cars flanked by security
It comes weeks after the release of the scathing report from the Royal Commission Robodebt, which criticized his involvement in the “incompetent and cowardly” plan.
Robodebt was an automated method of calculating welfare recipients’ alleged debts by matching their reported wages to their assumed annual income, which was estimated by averaging data from the Australian Revenue Service.
Robodibt was active from 2015 to 2019 and was shut down after it was found to be illegal.
But by then it had unlawfully claimed nearly $2 billion from more than 400,000 people and had been linked to several suicides.
Commissioner Catherine Holmes shared her findings on how the former government implemented the debt restructuring scheme following a massive nine-week investigation that analyzed more than a million documents and interviewed more than 100 witnesses.
She determined that Mr Morrison had ‘allowed the Cabinet to be misled’ and provided ‘false’ evidence to the Commission about income averaging, one of the most controversial and ultimately illegal aspects of the now infamous scheme.
As Minister of Social Affairs, Mr. Morrison was ‘responsible for carrying out the Social Security Act according to the law’ at the time Robodebt was formed.
The report states: ‘Ministers are expected to take full responsibility for the content, quality and accuracy of the advice provided to the cabinet under their name.
“Mr. Morrison contributed to a certain atmosphere” through his “powerful language” that pressured officials to “go ahead and deliver the programme.”
The policy direction that Mr. Morrison’s social services portfolio, which he publicly stated, was one of “ensuring welfare integrity”… Unintentional non-compliance was often lumped together with cases of fraud, and no effort was made to done to emphasize some distinction.’
The taxpayer was billed $477,528 for Mr. Morrison’s legal representation at the Commission’s hearings.
Mr Morrison is pictured holidaying in Rome with his family in late June, weeks before the royal commission’s report was handed over
Much of Morrison’s tenure has been plagued with controversy, including taking his family on holiday to Hawaii during Australia’s worst bushfire season, inviting his embattled pastor Brian Houston to an official White House dinner and, after leaving office revealed that he had secretly appointed himself to multiple ministries while PM.
Despite all this, Mr Morrison retained his position as MP for Cook’s Sutherland Shire electorate – replete with a salary package of $211,250 a year.
The former prime minister is now in the far corner of the backseat – about as far from the action as a federal MP can get, slumped over his iPad next to his friend, Alex Hawke.
He has spoken only a few times since losing the 2022 election – most recently on June 13 to clarify his prior knowledge of Brittany Higgins’ sexual assault allegations in Parliament House.
Scott Morrison is seen on his infamous 2019 vacation to Hawaii during horrific bushfires across Australia