Even if you caught just a snippet of Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison‘s interview on The Project with Waleed Aly tonight, there’s a fairly good chance you felt excruciating discomfort. For 36 minutes, questions were asked and sometimes sort of answered, sometimes taken for a dizzying spin around the block.

It didn’t take long for things to become tense. Minutes into the interview, Aly re-asked Morrison if his Party has a problem with Islamophobia after the PM appeared to stretch his initial answer too wide.

After Friday’s Christchurch terror attacks, Aly appeared on The Project and cited a 2011 report in which Morrison told a Coalition frontbench meeting that they should encourage anti-Muslim thoughts for political gain.  The PM has since denied these claims, labelling them a “disgusting smear and appalling lie.”

In tonight’s interview, Morrison again denied he had pushed any anti-Muslim sentiment in the meeting. Instead, he said he had actually raised the issue because he was concerned for Muslims in Australia.

“I was acknowledging there were these fears in the community and we have to address them, not exploit them.”

I was concerned about those fears in the community and it has always been my practice, as I’ve demonstrated to you outside the parliament and inside the parliament, to seek to address those. 

… This is why on Saturday, after these horrendous attacks, I went to speak to those at the Lakemba mosque, I was greeted with hugs and tears. Do you think that is the act of someone who hasn’t been working closely with the Islamic community in Sydney for a long time?

“I’m asking you a question about a report that is sourced from multiple journalists,” Aly replied.

Again, Morrison denied the report’s contents particularly because it quoted “two unnamed sources”. However, Aly pointed out that one source has since come forward.

“It never happened,” Morrison said. “Such a report is so at odds with my experience and actions that I think that speaks for itself.” 

Considering One Nation‘s heavy anti-Muslim play, Aly then asked if Morrison will preference them last – or at least below the Greens and Labor – on Liberal‘s how-to-vote cards at the upcoming election.

Morrison didn’t answer the question and instead said the matter would be “determined by the party when we know what the nominations are.” 

To say the least, our PM did not do well on Twitter tonight.

You can watch the interview below.

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