Scott Morrison: Former Australian PM censured over secret ministries - BBC

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has been censured by the nation's parliament for giving himself concealed powers portion successful office.

The historical question follows a damning study which said his actions were "corrosive of spot successful government".

It marks the archetypal clip a erstwhile premier curate has been censured by the House of Representatives.

Mr Morrison has defended appointing himself to respective ministries, calling the censure "retribution" by opponents.

In August, it emerged that Mr Morrison had go associated curate for health, finance, treasury, location affairs and resources successful the 2 years earlier helium mislaid powerfulness successful May.

Most ministers were unaware they were sharing portfolios with Mr Morrison and helium has been wide criticised, including by adjacent colleagues.

Mr Morrison - present a backbench MP - has said the decisions were made amid the "extraordinary times" of the pandemic.

An probe recovered his appointments were legal, and that helium utilized his other powers lone erstwhile - to overrule a curate successful a substance unrelated to the pandemic.

But it ruled Mr Morrison "fundamentally undermined" liable government. Another enquiry recovered that astir of his appointments had "little if immoderate transportation to the pandemic".

The Albanese authorities has already promised caller laws that would necessitate immoderate akin appointments to beryllium publically disclosed successful future.

But Mr Albanese said the parliament besides had a work to condemn his predecessor's actions.

They enactment Australia connected a "slippery slope" distant from "precious" democracy, helium said connected Wednesday.

"The nationalist didn't cognize thing it was entitled to know... that undermined the functioning of this parliament, that undermined our antiauthoritarian institutions."

Mr Morrison told parliament that with hindsight helium believed his decisions had been "unnecessary" and he'd fixed them "insufficient consideration".

"None of america tin assertion to beryllium infallible successful specified circumstances, and I bash not," helium said.

But helium stopped abbreviated of an apology, and argued the censure was astir "political intimidation" and "retribution".

Most of his centre-right conjugation colleagues supported that view, but 1 MP, Bridget Archer, said she didn't judge Mr Morrison's mentation of his actions and supported the censure.

"And I'm profoundly disappointed by the deficiency of genuine apology, oregon much importantly, knowing of the interaction of these decisions," she said successful parliament.

Former Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews - 1 of the colleagues who unknowingly shared a portfolio with Mr Morrison - besides abstained from the vote.

A censure is the parliament's mode of formally expressing disapproval successful an MP. Such motions are uncommon and mostly symbolic, but they tin person governmental consequences.