Scott Morrison must reveal any text messages from QAnon friend, information watchdog orders

The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, waves around his mobile phone during question time in 2021. Morrison’s office has been ordered to search through his phone for messages from his friend and prominent QAnon conspiracy theorist Tim Stewart. Photograph: Mike Bowers/The Guardian

The prime minister’s office has been ordered to search through Scott Morrison’s mobile phone for text messages with prominent QAnon conspiracy proponent Tim Stewart after a two-year freedom of information battle against Guardian Australia.

In October 2019, Guardian Australia broke the news that Stewart – whose QAnon Twitter account, BurnedSpy34, was permanently suspended for “engaging in coordinated harmful activity” – was a family friend of Morrison, and his wife was on the prime minister’s staff.