UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH SCOTT MORRISON

Favourite curry to cook?

The girls love butter chicken. Not the most healthy, but it’s a special treat every now and then that I cook for them. I haven’t done too bad on the vindaloo on occasions too by the way, but I’m a big fan of anything to do with the kormas. I also do quite a number of Sri Lankan dishes, and southern Indian dishes - you know, the ones where you cook with coconut oil and coconut milk and you put in some leaves and limes, that adds a bit of a different taste to it. I quite like those, particularly in summer.

Rumours are that you want to write a curry cook book called “Curry Nights with ScoMo”. True or false?

(Laughs) I should, shouldn’t I? I don’t know when I’d get the time. I must admit, all the recipes I use I borrow from the celebrity chefs. I enjoy it. I always found it very relaxing and it’s my meal of choice pretty much anywhere I go. If there’s a curry on, you can find me there.

Perhaps at a later time, Indian Link and PM Morrison can collaborate on a book? (Laughs) Sounds good to me. And we can support one of the local Indian charities.

We have a deal on the table, then. Done.

It appears Mrs Morrison has a good sari collection - have you helped her select these?

She looks gorgeous in a sari. She loves wearing them, she just loves the colours and the fabrics. She’s in love with India. She’s been there on a couple of occasions with a small business that she’s involved with. She loves the colour, the culture; it’s so vibrant and every time she comes back she’s just had an absolute ball.

An Indian personality who has made an impression?

Narendra Modi. He’s quite an impressive man, very devoted to his country, and with a very clear sense of India’s independence. I think that’s why he’s had such strong support. India is a very difficult country why it’s important that Tanya Plibersek doesn’t become the deputy PM of Australia. But beyond that, I think there are equal frustrations of Australians trying to do business in India, and these are the things that together as governments we have to try and overcome. manage - I think he knows that better than anyone else. But he’s shown great leadership for India, and has been a very positive leader in the world more generally. I think he’s seen and respected in that way by other world leaders, including myself. I’d love to see him back in Australia. I know the Indian community would love to see him too. Last time he was out he was a rockstar. He’s a very charismatic guy, and a very humble man. I sat with him at a dinner at the MCG once, and it was just the two of us. There were obviously a lot of people there that night but we were at a table together and we talked about everything. Including curries, I gotta say.

Finally, your message for the Indian Australian community, in the lead up to the elections?

Firstly, Namaste. More broadly, the reason you have come to Australia is to be part of a country that provides opportunity, that provides choices, that backs your judgment that you’re the right one to make the decisions for you and your family and for your community, and the policies that we’re putting forward at this election are about continuing that. The Labor Party’s higher taxes, not being able to manage money, taking money off you to spend on what they think is important, rather than letting you make your decisions about what you think’s important, I think goes very much against why you would have come to Australia in the first place - whether you’ve come more recently or you came generations ago for a better future for your family and your children. So that choice is there: it’s a choice to keep the promise that you made to yourself and to your children in coming to Australia by having a government, our government, the Liberal National government, which will also keep that promise to you and your family.