AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR:

The Bug has formally presented former prime minister Scott Morrison with his Australian of the Year Awards for 2022 after he was unable to attend the announcement of his win on Australinvasion Day on 26 January.

At a special ceremony in the boardroom on the top floor of The Bug’s headquarters in Brisbane, chair of the judging panel, finance and investment columnist Morrie Bezzle, handed Mr Morrison the six awards he received for his work as prime minister as well as for the five other ministries he secretly assumed during the later stages of his government. (main picture)

An emotional Mr Morrison thanked the judges for recognising his contribution to Australian public life as prime minister.

“I still believe in miracles,” he said while holding aloft the first of his six awards, then adding: “How good is The Bug’s Australian of the Year Award?”

Mr Morrison then repeated the same lines five more times while referencing each of the other five ministries he held.

He said he hoped the awards would remind Australians of the kind of leadership he gave the nation.

Mr Morrison then donned a Cronulla Sharks jersey and cap and posed for the media photographers present by swilling pots of beer before explaining he had to leave to meet another commitment.

On his way out of the room he grabbed several babies from the arms of a number of young working mothers employed by The Bug and posed for photos cuddling them, except for one child he refused to hold when its mother of Spanish extraction held him out.

“I don’t hold a Jose, mate,” Mr Morrison explained.

He then crash tackled a small boy of one of the invited guests who happened to be walking in front of the media photographers.

Mr Morrison’s departure was delayed only by a detour he made to the boardroom’s kitchen where he quickly cooked a curry and snapped photos of it for his various social media accounts.