Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday accused his predecessor of an “unprecedented rampage” to democracy by secretly appointing himself to several ministerial portfolios, which Scott Morrison justified by the “unprecedented period” of the pandemic.
“We sometimes forget what was happening two years ago and the situation we were facing, it was an unprecedented period, it was not a conventional period”, argued the former Prime Minister on Tuesday during a meeting. an interview with Australian radio 2GB.
“We had to take extraordinary measures to put safeguards in place,” he said, ensuring that he had thus ensured the continuity of government in the event of the unavailability of a minister.
“Fortunately, it was not necessary for me to trigger the use of any of these powers,” he said on Facebook.
Scott Morrison has appointed himself since March 2020 to five ministerial posts, including those of Health, Finance and Resources, in secret, said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
“It is quite extraordinary that these appointments have been kept secret by the Morrison government from the Australian people,” he said.
The Prime Minister sought the advice of the Attorney General to assess the legality of the actions of Mr Morrison, whom he accused of leading “a shadow government.
The scandal has shed light on the opaque nature of decision-making in the Australian government and raised questions about the need for stronger democratic safeguards.
Some ministers from the previous government have said they were unaware that Mr Morrison appointed himself to their portfolios – including then finance minister Mathias Cormann, now secretary General of the OECD.
Mr Morrison’s Conservative coalition lost the election in May, after nearly a decade of centre-right government.
In Australia, the Prime Minister chooses the members of his government from among those elected who are then sworn in by the Governor-General in an official ceremony that is usually public and recorded.