On this episode of Democracy Sausage, journalist and author Annika Smethurst joins Mark Kenny to discuss political accountability and her new biography of Scott Morrison, The Accidental Prime Minister.

Not expected to win the 2019 election, Scott Morrison has been Australian Prime Minister during a time of great uncertainty. But how did he come to be selected, then elected, for top political office? Might an aversion to scrutiny come to be his Achilles’ heel? And what does his ‘daggy dad’ persona reveal about his leadership style, but also about what the Australian public expects of their political figures? Annika Smethurst, state political editor at The Age and former member of the federal press gallery, joins Professor Mark Kenny to discuss her new biography of Australia’s 30th prime minister.

Annika Smethurst is state political editor for The Age newspaper in Melbourne and a Director on the Board of the National Press Club.

Mark Kenny is a Professor in the ANU Australian Studies Institute. He came to the university after a high-profile journalistic career including six years as chief political correspondent and national affairs editor for The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age, and The Canberra Times.

The Accidental Prime Minister by Annika Smethurst is available from Wednesday 15 September.

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This podcast is produced in partnership with The Australian National University.

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