Pollies are piling in on the news that our former prime minister secretly made himself minister for five portfolios, including Finance, Resources and Health. Some branded it “sinister”, others said there must have been “logic” in the decision. Let’s take a look at what they’ve had to say.
ScoMo himself
Morrison said the measures were put in place “just in case” a worst-case COVID scenario should take down his ministry.
“We had to take some extraordinary measures to put safeguards in place,” he said. “Should they have been used, I would have obviously disclosed that.”
Morrison landed himself in the Health and Finance portfolios due to “unprecedented” and “unconventional” times, but for Resources, Morrison said that he “sought to be the decision-maker”.
“If I wished to be the decision-maker then I had to take the steps that I took,” he said.
Morrison conceded that it was an “error” and an “oversight” not giving former finance minister Mathias Cormann a heads-up that he would help him run the numbers, but added that “none of us are perfect”.
So, any more portfolios? “Not to my recollection,” said the former PM.
The current prime minister
Anthony Albanese said Morrison’s self-appointments were “contrary” to the Westminster system of government.
He added: “It is unbecoming. It was cynical and it was just weird that this has occurred. Australians will be scratching their heads today knowing that the government that they thought was there wasn’t actually the Australian government at all.”
Albanese on Tuesday morning suggested Morrison should resign as the member for Cook. He said: “I think the people of Cook deserve to be represented by someone who is interested in our parliamentary democracy and in day-to-day politics.”
The former prime minister
Former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was against the traditions of Westminster parliamentary democracy.
“I’m astonished that Mr Morrison thought he could do it, astonished that Prime Minister and Cabinet went along with it,” he told the ABC.
“I’m even more astonished that the governor-general was party to it. This is sinister stuff.”
The opposition leader
Peter Dutton has said he was not aware of the appointment at the time.
“Obviously the prime minister had his reasons, his logic for it, but it was not a decision that I was a party to or was aware of,” Dutton told ABC Radio on Monday.
The opposition leader also said he didn’t know whether Morrison had sworn himself in as defence minister (Dutton’s former cabinet position).
The man who helped appoint Morrison to the portfolios
A spokesperson for Governor-General David Hurley confirmed he appointed Morrison to multiple additional portfolios.
“It is not uncommon for ministers to be appointed to administer departments other than their portfolio responsibility,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
“These appointments do not require a swearing-in ceremony. The governor-general signs an administrative instrument on the advice of the prime minister.”
The spokesperson said the appointments were made consistently with section 64 of the constitution.
The man whose portfolio Morrison joined
One of the ministers, whose portfolios Morrison swore himself in to, was former resources minister Keith Pitt.
“I think everyone just needs to take a calming breath and a cold shower to be honest,” Pitt told ABC Radio.
“I’ve got no issues with the decisions I’ve made.”
The leader of the Nationals
David Littleproud said he wasn’t aware of it.
“That’s pretty ordinary, as far as I’m concerned,” Littleproud told ABC’s Radio National.
“If you have a cabinet government, you trust your cabinet. You create that environment in the cabinet room to have those discussions. If you don’t think a minister’s suitable to do that, that’s a discussion with the minister [and you] probably ask him or her to remove themselves.”
The former leader of the Nationals
Barnaby Joyce has made clear he did not approve.
“I do believe in a cabinet form of government, which means cabinet ministers have responsibility for their portfolio,” Joyce told news.com.au.
“I don’t believe in a presidential form of government.
“If you don’t like cabinet ministers, there’s a simple solution: you sack them.”
Other politicians
Nationals MP Kevin Hogan told Sky News: “The pandemic meant some conventions were thrown out the window, but I look forward to the rationale for those being explained.”
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie said it was “unprecedented”, adding: “I think these revelations do bring into question our Westminster system of government, the conventions that underpin how we have confidence and trust in our parliamentary system. As a former cabinet minister in the Turnbull and Morrison governments, I took those conventions very seriously.”
And Liberal frontbencher Michael Sukkar expressed on Twitter: “The most extraordinary thing is Albanese’s focus on this instead of the worsening cost of living happening on his watch, a slowing economy and his broken promise to deliver all Australians a $275 power price saving.”
Was it business as usual for Scott Morrison to appoint himself to multiple portfolios? Let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
