It may be possible to justify appointing the PM to many existing portfolios during a national emergency – though most experts seem to think it wasn’t necessary. But it was totally inexcusable to keep the appointments secret from the public, parliament and even many of the ministers who held those positions. In the Westminster system, the government is accountable to Parliament. That cannot possibly work when Parliament doesn’t know who is exercising ministerial powers, or what they are doing. What Morrison did may have been legal, but it was a disgraceful attack on the principles and protocols of Australia’s democracy. The truly sad thing is that he apparently doesn’t realise how serious it was.

He fully deserves the censure.

Dear Rhian,

Indeed. Moreover he lied about it.

"On 20 May, Morrison was pressed by reporters on the campaign trail in Perth about why the government didn’t use “discretionary powers” to allow the Murugappan family to stay.

Morrison said that option “is available … under ministerial intervention”.

“And that ministerial intervention is done by the minister, not the prime minister. That’s not what the act provides.

“He [Hawke] makes that decision – no, that it’s his decision.”

Morrison doubled down, insisting it would be “inappropriate” to discuss the matter with Hawke because “it’s his decision … in the same way it was his decision over Novak Djokovic”.

Asked what his decision would be, Morrison replied: “Well, I’m not the minister.”

Morrison had been sworn in to administer the home affairs department on 6 May 2021, more than a year earlier."
http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/nov/30/scott-morrison-falsely-claimed-he-lacked-powers-to-help-biloela-family

SR,

Quite how that's a lie is in the eye of the beholder.

The fact is Morrison didn't exercise any of the supposed powers that he had taken except in one minor instance.

All the rest is confected outrage to punish an ideological opponent and to divert attention from those things the government would prefer not examined. When the shoe's on the other foot, and at some time it will be, the left will look askant as to why they're being treated so unfairly. But payback always comes.

Going after a defeated and helpless opponent is a very bad precedent.

Morrison is a very sick political puppy, and political euthanasia is called for. The sooner a by-election is held in the seat of Cook, and the present parasite is removed the better.

mhaze
he said "I'm not the minister" when he was, in fact, the minister. How is that not a lie?

If you watched his speech yesterday he said he wasn't the Minister for those departments. He quoted from the Bell Report confirming that. He also pointed out that when he was sworn in, the word was careful to avoid saying he was being appointed as the Minister for those departments.

the speech is here.... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-2827521/Video-Scott-Morrison-defends-against-House-censure-motion.html

but as usual most will avoid listening to anything that might tell them something they don't want to hear.

Now the question as to whether he was or wasn't a minister is a legal one. The Bell Report covered that. But he thought he wasn't the Minister for those departments and therefore he wasn't lying.

http://youtu.be/UB8TCRUd9rA