The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is seeking legal advice over reports his predecessor, Scott Morrison, was secretly sworn into three ministry positions while in government, accusing Morrison of “running a shadow government”.
Without the knowledge of some senior cabinet colleagues – including then finance minister Mathias Cormann – Morrison allegedly had himself secretly appointed as the minister for health, finance and resources at various times in office. In April last year, the governor general, David Hurley, also reportedly appointed Morrison to oversee the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources, according to federal court filings obtained by the Australian newspaper.
