Scott Morrison comments on Jim Molan’s passing.
Ben Fordham 2GB Breakfast show Tuesday 17 January 2023.
Jim Molan 1950-2023
Ben Fordham: “Joining us on the line is Australia’s former Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, Mr Morrison, thank you so much for talking to us.”
Scott Morrison: “Well, thanks Ben, it’s a sad morning, but most of all for all the Molan family, for Anne and of course Erin and all the other kids and the grandkids, and today I am certain they knew this day would come Ben as Jim battled this cancer bravely for these last few years. But what an amazing legacy, what an amazing man to remember. He was a good friend of mine, he was a very big man Jim, I mean he was big in stature he had hands the size of baseball mits, you know he was just big. He had big ideas, he had big passions. You know everything about Jim that’s my, that’s just my overarching sort of memories of him this morning when I heard the news, big Jim, he was, he was amazing, and ah, I was proud to serve with him, so many served with Jim, I mean Jim’s service in Iraq and the senior level at which he served in Iraq was like few Australian service men and women have ever experienced such was the regard that was held for Jim’s military capabilities, but um your right about how he would speak about his family, gosh he loved Anne, um that’s what he would speak about, and he was so proud of all of his kids, and obviously I knew Erin more than the others and he would just tell me all the time how proud he was of them.
Ben Fordham: “He had so much character and I think to a time when he was facing some internal problems within his political career and I remember talking to him off air at one stage and I said Jim, come on we all know what’s going on here, and there was someone or a few people who were causing him problems, and I said, are you aware that this person has done that, and I remember he said Ben, even though it would be an advantage for me to provide this information to you its not the way I operate”.
Scott Morrison: “Yeah that’s true, that’s true of Jim, I mean Jim was not, Jim was a soldier, Jim, that was his code, that’s how he lived his life thankfully, the politics was a strange world for Jim but wherever Jim could serve he would. We would rush towards service wherever he could, and I know that meant for so much of his life his family would not be able to see him as much as I am sure he and they would have liked, he made great sacrifices for his service both of course in our defence forces and then with his passion in politics. I remember his passion in politics started many years ago, I met him, he came to a dinner that we had, Stuart Robert invited him, we were all fairly new members of parliament, and we would each bring along someone at each dinner we thought would be a great mentor and someone we could learn from. Stuey Roberts brought Jim along I think it was the first time I really met Jim and there he told us about his life and what he had done and he gave us some good principles to live by and from that point on Jim and I had become friends and I worked very closely with him back in opposition when we were putting operation sovereign borders together and then we worked together on that when we came to government, he was a great mentor, a great friend but most of all he was a great dad and a wonderful husband and um you know they are great accomplishments in life”.
Ben Fordham; “you would have to be searching far and wide to find someone who had a bad word to say about Jim Molan”
Scott Morrison: “ oh yeah, yeah you would, you would, but at the same time, I mean, Jim didn’t pull his punches. Your absolutely right, Jim was not someone who would say things somewhere else he would say things straight up, straight up to you. And ah we had a few of those conversations um as did all of the people who regarded Jim well because that’s the sort of person he was, um and he didn’t say things to hurt you or anything like that he said them because they were true and he thought you needed to know them and that’s what Jim was like and um so perhaps some people didn’t like that and I suspect that impacted those relationships but if when you knew where Jim was coming from, from a position of friendship and service and passion about his country then you could understand what he was doing and so he stood incredibly tall Ben, incredibly tall, and I am so pleased to you know, he served in our team, he served in the parliament, he loved his work in the parliament, he really did, he loved the opportunity to continue to contribute, the Senate and the parliament will be less for his absence but Australia has lost a great patriot.
Ben Fordham: “you are spot on and thank you so much for coming on and paying tribute and I echo your love that you are sending to everyone who knew Jim Molan and particularly to Anne and Erin, Felicity and Mick and Sarah we are thinking of all of you today. Thank you so much.”
Scott Morrison: “Thanks Ben”
