AUSTRALIA: Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said advice from the solicitor general showed his predecessor Scott Morrison’s secret appointment to ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic “fundamentally undermined” responsible Government despite being legally valid.
The advice from the country’s second highest law officer was a “very clear criticism” of the implications for Australia’s parliamentary democracy, Albanese told reporters on Tuesday.
Albanese said his Cabinet had agreed “there will be need for a further inquiry” into the matter.
Morrison, who stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after losing a General Election in May, has faced a barrage of criticism from the Labor Government and his own party, after it was revealed he was secretly sworn in to ministries without telling parliament or his cabinet, an unprecedented assumption of power.
In the written advice, the Solicitor General was critical that the public and Parliament were not informed of Morrison’s appointment to the ministries.
This was “inconsistent with the conventions and practices that form an essential part of the system of responsible Government prescribed by the… Constitution,” the advice said.
Three ministers were unaware Morrison shared power over their ministries of home affairs, treasury and finance until last week. Morrison said he only intervened in one ministry, resources, to block an offshore gas project. The decision is now being challenged in court by the resources company.
– JAPAN TODAY