Scott Morrison says Howard’s intervention ‘shows the character of the bloke’ as Kevin Rudd also praises former PM

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Scott Morrison has lauded the former prime minister John Howard for intervening in a domestic violence incident.

Howard, 79, who was prime minister between 1996 and 2007, was on his daily walk near his Sydney home on Wednesday when he saw a couple fighting, News Corp reported. After breaking up the row, Howard waited with the woman until police arrived.

“How good is John Howard,” Morrison told reporters in the Northern Territory. “He’s obviously been a mentor to me and others, particularly on our side of politics. It shows the character of the bloke.”

Morrison used the incident to point out Australians’ responsibility to help stop domestic violence.

“John Howard gave us a reminder that we’ve all got a responsibility when it comes to this,” he said. “If you see this stuff going on, call it out like John did.”

The former Labor prime minister Kevin Rudd, who defeated Howard at the 2007 election, also publicly congratulated his former opponent.

“Well done John Howard. Any violence against women is unacceptable,” Rudd tweeted.

As a result of the incident, a 44-year-old woman was charged with breaching an apprehended domestic violence order and granted conditional bail to appear at Manly local court on Tuesday.

The man, 47, was taken to hospital as a mental health precaution.