Scott Morrison has accused those questioning his relationship with Tim Stewart of wanting him to “cancel” the QAnon conspiracy theorist.
On Monday the prime minister played down his association with Stewart by saying he hadn’t seen him for some time and reiterated that he does not support the views of QAnon.
Guardian Australia first revealed in August 2019 that Stewart, a prominent proponent of the QAnon conspiracy, is a family friend of Morrison, and his wife was on the prime minister’s staff.
Last week the ABC’s Four Corners aired a program about the pair’s association, which included Stewart’s sister, Karen, questioning why “the prime minister would want to be seen to be with someone who has such radical beliefs”.
On Monday Morrison said he thought the program was “pretty ordinary”.
“I mean, we’ve all got friends and we’ve all got acquaintances and people we know who have views that we don’t share,” Morrison told 2GB Radio.
“But, you know, what do they expect us to do? Just to sort of cancel people just because they have views different to ourselves?
“I don’t support the views of QAnon. I barely even knew what it was until more recently over the last year or so.
“So, you know, look, if people are going to have a crack at you because of what people you know think, I think that’s really starting to, you know, [draw a] bit of a long bow.”
Asked if he was still close with Stewart, Morrison replied: “No, look, I haven’t seen Tim for some time.”
“[I’m] much closer to his wife, who you know, Jenny and I are longtime friends of her.
“I just think it’s sort of a bit ordinary to drag other people into, I mean, I’m the prime minister, hold me account for my views.
“For people who have known me or have been friends with me over the period of time, they’re entitled to their privacy regardless of if people don’t agree with their views.
“And I certainly don’t agree with Tim’s views on those things at all. I mean, he’s a Sharkies supporter. I agree with him on that, but not on QAnon.”
The Four Corners program revealed that Stewart had posted photos on social media from Kirribilli House in January 2019, claiming that he was housesitting the prime minister’s official residence in Sydney.
The program also questioned why Morrison had used the term “ritual sexual abuse” in his apology to survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, revealing messages reportedly sent by Stewart referring to his attempts to get the words “ritual abuse” into the apology.
The QAnon conspiracy purports that powerful forces are hiding and protecting satanic paedophile rings and that a secretive individual named Q leaves clues for his followers to decipher on internet forums.
Last year Stewart’s QAnon Twitter account, BurnedSpy34, was permanently suspended for “engaging in coordinated harmful activity”.
Stewart said in 2019 he had not attempted to influence Morrison nor had he had conversations with him about any QAnon content.
“I have never spoken to Scott about anything of a political nature,” he said at the time. “I’m not an adviser. The idea of me talking to him about this ... it’s just not true.”
In the lead-up to the Four Corners program, Morrison said it was “deeply offensive” and “poor form” of the ABC to investigate his relationship with Stewart.
“I find it deeply offensive that there would be any suggestion that I would have any involvement or support for such a dangerous organisation,” Morrison told reporters at a press conference.
“I clearly do not. It is also disappointing that Four Corners would seek to cast this aspersion not just against me but members of my own family. I just think that is really poor form.”
In the program, a spokesperson for Morrison said it was “a personally motivated slur against the prime minister and his family by a Four Corners program that is already facing serious questions about the accuracy, bias and credibility of its journalism, that is now giving credence to irrational Twitter conspiracy theorists and raising the profile of what the prime minister clearly deems a discredited and dangerous fringe group”.
