Scott Morrison has apologised to his colleagues for having secretly sworn himself into their portfolios, but launched a staunch defence of his actions.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed on Tuesday Mr Morrison had appointed himself to the finance, treasury, health, home affairs and resources portfolios in secret.
He was sworn in to the roles between March 2020 and May 2021.
The embattled former prime minister took to Facebook to explain himself, posting a 1200-word response.
“In hindsight these arrangements were unnecessary,” he said of the treasury and home affairs portfolios.
“For any offence to my colleagues I apologise.”
Mr Morrison said the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis required an “unprecedented policy response”.
“The risk of ministers becoming incapacitated, sick, hospitalised, incapable of doing their work at a critical hour or even fatality was very real,” he wrote.
It comes as former home affairs minister Karen Andrews called on Mr Morrison, the MP for the Sydney seat of Cook, to resign from parliament.
“The Australian people have been let down, they have been betrayed,” she said.
“For a former prime minister to have behaved in that manner, to secretly be sworn into other portfolios, undermines the Westminster system, it’s absolutely unacceptable.”
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton wouldn’t comment on whether Mr Morrison should quit parliament.
“It was a war-like situation, and there was concern about what would happen … people were on ventilators and people were dying at that stage, and that’s the context in which the prime minister at the time, Mr Morrison, made some of those decisions,” he told reporters in Launceston.
“I wasn’t aware of the decisions.”
Former finance minister Simon Birmingham said he was also unaware that his portfolio was taken at the same time he held it, while refusing to say whether Mr Morrison should leave.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said Australians should accept Mr Morrison’s explanation, despite labelling the behaviour “pretty ordinary” a day earlier.
Mr Albanese is awaiting advice from the solicitor-general on whether Mr Morrison’s actions have any legal repercussions.
One of the decisions, relating to rejection of the PEP-11 gas project off the NSW coast, is the subject of a Federal Court appeal.
The Greens are seeking advice on a possible referral of Mr Morrison to the parliament’s privileges committee.
© AAP 2022
