Scott Morrison: Former Australian PM censured over secret ministries

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been censured by the nation’s parliament for giving himself secret powers while in office.

The historic motion follows a damning report which said his actions were “corrosive of trust in government”.

It marks the first time a former prime minister has been censured by the House of Representatives.

Mr Morrison has defended appointing himself to several ministries, calling the censure “retribution” by opponents.

But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has described his actions as a “power grab”.

In August, it emerged that Mr Morrison had become joint minister for health, finance, treasury, home affairs and resources in the two years before he lost power in May.

Most ministers were reportedly unaware they were sharing portfolios with Mr Morrison and he has been widely criticised, including by close colleagues.

Mr Morrison – now a backbench MP – has said the decisions were made amid the “extraordinary times” of the pandemic.

An investigation found his appointments were legal, and that he used his extra powers only once – to overrule a minister in a matter unrelated to the pandemic.

But it ruled Mr Morrison “fundamentally undermined” responsible government. Another inquiry found that most of his appointments had “little if any connection to the pandemic”.

Speaking in parliament on Wednesday, Mr Albanese said his predecessor’s appointments were a “slippery slope” towards autocracy.

“The fact is that our democracy is precious. There’s no room for complacency,” he said.

“The public didn’t know something it was entitled to know,” he added, saying Mr Morrison owes Australians an apology.

Mr Morrison told parliament that with hindsight he believed his decisions had been “unnecessary” and he’d given them “insufficient consideration”.

“None of us can claim to be infallible in such circumstances, and I do not,” he said.

But he argued the censure was about “political intimidation” and “retribution”.

A censure is the parliament’s way of formally expressing disapproval in an MP. Such motions are rare and largely symbolic, but they can have political consequences.