Former Australian PM Scott Morrison is criticized for his undisclosed involvement

• A study that criticized the former prime minister for awarding himself covert duties has prompted Australia to introduce new legislation to boost transparency.
• Scott Morrison lost in this year’s election.
• In a statement that was shared on social media on Friday, Mr. Morrison reiterated his justification for his conduct.

Scott Morrison, who lost in this year’s election, has defended his selections for a number of ministries by claiming that they were “essential” in these “exceptional times.”

However, a previous High Court Justice’s investigation ruled that his actions were “corrosive of trust in government.”

And the current prime minister, Anthony Albanese, called it “unusual and reprehensible.”

In the two years prior to his loss of power in May, Mr. Morrison was shown to have served as a joint minister for health, finance, treasury, home affairs, and resources.

Most ministers allegedly had no idea Mr. Morrison shared their portfolios, and he has drawn a lot of criticism, including from close friends and family.

Only once did Mr. Morrison utilise his additional authority to defy the resources minister on a topic unconnected to the pandemic.

Early this year, the solicitor general conducted a review and ruled that while Mr. Morrison had acted legally, responsible governance had been “fundamentally damaged.”

Virginia Bell reached a similar result following a three-month investigation.

In the end, she determined that the appointments were “unnecessary” and that three out of the five had “little to no connection to the pandemic.”

She continued, saying that it was “not easy to understand and difficult to reconcile” Mr. Morrison’s justification for swearing himself into the ministry.

The audit also indicated that Mr. Morrison gave his department instructions to prepare for his nomination to oversee the administration of a sixth extra post, but eventually chose against doing so.

The study does not criticise Australia’s governor general, who presided over the covert appointments, claiming that he did so after consulting with the ruling party at the time.

In a statement that was shared on social media on Friday, Mr. Morrison reiterated his justification for his conduct.

He noted that opponents were speaking with the “advantage” of hindsight and stated, “These decisions were taken during an exceptionally tough period, where there was a need for tremendous urgency.”

He questioned how “third parties” could come to “definitive conclusions” about the situation.

However, Mr. Albanese claimed that the investigation demonstrated the former prime minister’s actions were “exceptional” and “wrong,” adding that the previous administration had been characterised by a culture of secrecy.

He claimed that because they had been “misled about the basis of their government,” the Australian people deserved an apology.

Mr. Albanese agreed with the reform recommendations in the study, including new legislation requiring public disclosure of all appointments.

Josh Frydenberg, a former treasurer, came up earlier on Friday morning and called Mr. Morrison’s hidden ministry “gross overreach.”

According to Mr. Frydenberg, who lost his seat in the election, Mr. Morrison was a close political buddy and still hasn’t apologised for surreptitiously swearing himself into the treasury portfolio.

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