Ex-Australian Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison accused his successor Anthony Albanese of “political intimidation” as he became the first Australian PM to be censured by the parliament for holding several secret portfolios during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The motion against Morisson, which was introduced by Leader of the House Tony Burke in the federal parliament’s House of Representatives, passed 86-50 on Wednesday.
Burke accused the ex-PM of “eroding public trust.”
“The member for Cook did not tell ministers themselves that he had sworn into their portfolios,” Burke said of Morrison, who remains the member of parliament for Cook, an electoral division in the province of New South Wales.
Today I moved a censure motion against Scott Morrison for fundamentally undermining the principals of responsible government. pic.twitter.com/Zyesbsltew
— Tony Burke (@Tony_Burke) November 30, 2022
Referring to the rarity of the procedure, Burke remarked that “Today is not how any office wanted to make history. But censure, while rare, has its place.”
Burke revealed that Morrison did not inform anyone of his secret portfolios, including his cabinet and department secretaries, the parliament, and most importantly, the Australian people.
Keeping this in mind, the House Leader said Morrison “did not just fall below the standards expected, he undermined them, rejected them, he attacked them, and he abused them.”
In a long and passionate speech in his defence, Morrison retorted that he is “proud” of the measures his government was forced to take “at a time of extreme trial.”
the censure motion against Scott Morrison has passed, 86-50
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) November 30, 2022
votes below - Liberal MP Bridget Archer & most of the crossbench joining with the government pic.twitter.com/bN4nspmohs
“My government stood up and faced the abyss of uncertainty that our country looked into and the coercion of a region and saw Australia through the storm. Australia emerged stronger under my government,” he stated.
He argued that at the time, Australia was “fighting for [its] very survival, from a public health, economic, and national security perspective.”
Accusing Albanese’s government of playing “politics of retribution and nothing less,” Morrison added that he had “no intention now of submitting to” this “political intimidation. He claimed that the incumbent administration is “using its numbers in this place [parliament] to impose its retribution on a political opponent.”
The former leader also stuck by his opinion that any indication that he had served as minister of the secret portfolios was “false,” as “they were simply a dormant redundancy.”
The Hudson Institute is a right-wing, neo-con think tank based in Washington DC.
— Piers Mitchem (@piersmitchem) November 29, 2022
Also worth noting that just days ago, Attorney General Mark Dreyfus warned Morrison over his apparent disclosures of sensitive cabinet discussions (including intelligence) regarding China.
“It is strange to describe such actions as a power grab, as they were never exercised or even used to exercise influence over the relevant ministers,” Morrison asserted.
However, Morrison did concede that he was at fault for not informing then-finance minister, Simon Birmingham, of taking over his ministry.
“My omission was not informing the (then) minister for finance, who I believed had been informed through my office. I was mistaken about that, which was only brought to my attention when I made these matters public,” he admitted.
He also acknowledged that the only time he had exercised his additional secret power was when he had authorised the licence cancellation of an offshore gas exploration project, which was under the purview of former Minister for Resources and Water Keith Pitt.
Today I supported the Censure Motion of the former Prime Minister, Scott Morrison. Integrity and accountability must remain at the heart of our democracy. The Australian people deserve better.#auspol #censure #primeminister #scottmorrison #integritymatters #integrity pic.twitter.com/KecjB5hW4o
— Zoe Daniel (@zdaniel) November 30, 2022
Notably, Morrison also said that he now thought that taking on the portfolios of treasury and home affairs had been “unnecessary” but maintained that he did so to be able to take “swift action if necessary in the national interests in a time when Australia’s interests were under constant threat”.
“Insufficient consideration was given to these decisions at the time, including non-disclosure,” he said.
Nevertheless, he insisted that had he “been asked about these matters at the time,” he “would have responded truthfully about the arrangements [he] had put in place.”
In his apology to the parliament, Morrison said that he acknowledged that “the non-disclosure of arrangements has caused unintentional offence” and extended “an apology to those who were offended.”
“But Mr Speaker, I do not apologise for taking action, especially prudent redundancy action, in a national crisis in order to save lives and to save livelihoods. I gave it everything I had. I did it to the best of my ability,” he concluded.
Bridget Archer supporting the censure of Scott Morrison.
— The Sage II (@SarkySage2) November 30, 2022
In doing so she admits what he did was an ‘affront to our democratic Westminster system” and she ‘does not accept any of the explanations’ Morrison has put forward.#auspol #qt #censure pic.twitter.com/4IaOCdpvmy
Speaking shortly after, Albanese said that the censure motion was a “profoundly sad moment” in parliamentary history.
He warned that the Capitol Hill riots in the United States’ capital had proven that the principles of democracy could not be taken for granted.
“Power should never be abused. This was an abuse of power and a trashing of our democracy,” he said, adding, “[Morrison] has confirmed again that he just doesn't get it.”
— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) November 30, 2022
The motion against the former leader comes after revelations were first made in August that Morrison had held at least five secret portfolios during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Cabinet roles of minister of health, finance, treasury, resources, and home affairs.
“There is a basic fundamental weakness in checks and balances. If no-one knows who the minister is, then how can they be held to account for decisions which are made?” Albanese questioned at the time.
While Albanese also accused the ex-PM of keeping citizens “in the dark,” Morrison responded that the COVID-19 pandemic was “an unconventional” and “an unprecedented time,” which required such measures, as several lawmakers had fallen severely sick.
We could have come together to stand up for our democracy.
— Clare O'Neil MP (@ClareONeilMP) November 30, 2022
Instead, the Liberal Party decided to stand with Scott Morrison & lined up to shake his hand as if nothing had happened.
If the Liberals can't stand up for accountability and trust, the Albanese Government will. #auspol pic.twitter.com/LHoANFf5Dl
To this end, Green Party leader Adam Bandt in August submitted a written request to the Speaker of the House of Representatives asking to initiate a censure motion. In the request, Bandt said that Morrison’s decision to hold secret portfolios implied that he could have indulged in contempt of parliament.
More recently, former High Court judge Justice Virginia Bell submitted a report to the government last week which found that the appointments had been “unnecessary, as an acting minister could have been appointed if needed.”
It added that the principles of a democratic government were “fundamentally undermined” by Morrison’s actions, as he was not “responsible” to the parliament.
To curb such activities in the future, the Albanese government also passed the National Anti-Corruption Commission legislation last Thursday, which he said would improve “integrity and accountability in politics.”
In the 121 years since Federation what Scott Morrison did was single handily undermine our country. Undermined the principle of responsible government. Undermined our institutions and once again undermined everyone’s trust in our democracy #auspol #politas @AustralianLabor pic.twitter.com/R5oBwtBJHj
— Helen Polley (@polley_helen) November 30, 2022
Many members of Morrison’s Liberal Party opposed the censure, claiming that the ex-PM had already been rebuked for the action and that the censure was just a stunt.
Liberal MP Bridget Archer, who supported the motion, said that Morrison “is to be commended for much of his pandemic leadership,” as the country “fared so much better than many other developed countries due to measures implemented by the [Morrison] government.”
However, she stressed that the secretive move was “entirely unnecessary.”
“I do not accept any of the explanations put forward by the former prime minister ... and I’m deeply disappointed by the lack of a genuine apology or, importantly, understanding of the impact of his decisions,” she said.
While the censure is the parliament’s most-serious statement of disapproval, it is largely symbolic and entails no consequences for Morrison.