Former Australia PM ‘undermined’ responsible government with secret ministries: Solicitor general

SYDNEY: 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 (Aug 23).

Albanese said his cabinet had agreed “there will be a need for a further inquiry” into the matter, to answer questions on how the unprecedented assumption of power occurred and the need for reform.

“Scott Morrison owes the Australian people an apology for undermining our parliamentary democracy system of government that we have – something that can’t be taken for granted,” Albanese said.

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.

In the written advice, the solicitor general was critical that Morrison’s appointments to the ministries were not made public, saying it was inconsistent with the system of responsible government prescribed by the Constitution.

“That is because it is impossible for Parliament and the public to hold Ministers accountable for the proper administration of particular departments if the identity of the Ministers who have been appointed to administer those departments is not publicised,” it said.