Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his decision to secretly pledge five ministerial portfolios was a response to “abnormal” circumstances and unrealistic public expectations fueled by the media and opposition parties. I say yes.
“It was a very difficult time. It was a very unusual time. was done,” he said. told reporters August 17th.
He said the situation was “very real” and that events “changed from hour to hour, if not more often than that.”
“As you know, the national cabinet has met 57 times under my leadership,” he said. “And that underscores this pandemic and crisis.
Morrison said people can “judge from the context”, but said the context is “very real”.
“When I stepped into question time each day, a clear expectation was established in the minds of the public, certainly the media, and most certainly the opposition, that I as prime minister was mostly to blame. Everything that was happening, every drop of rain, every strain of virus, everything that happened during that period.
“I believed it was necessary to have authority, effectively emergency authority, to exercise in unforeseen extreme circumstances.”
Don’t Intervene, Morrison Says
Morrison is said to have secretly pledged five ministerial roles over the course of the pandemic: Health, Finance, Treasury, Home Affairs and Industry Portfolio.
The former prime minister said he never exercised those powers or interfered in cabinet decisions, except for the decision to torpedo the PEP 11 gas project. Further clarify that no two ministers have ever managed the same portfolio.
“Ben Morton, for example, was an assistant minister to the prime minister and cabinet, as well as minister of public services. Despite the fact that he was sworn into the departments of prime minister and cabinet, he never became prime minister … We couldn’t have Michael Skaker, who was an aide, be our treasurer,” he said.
The current Labor Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, jumped at Morrison’s reaction, stating, “The first rule of power grab clubs is not to talk about them.”
“And today Scott Morrison broke that rule. Scott Morrison was evasive, defensive, passive aggressive and of course selfish. So at least today he was honest with himself.” told reporters in Brisbane.
“Having a shadow ministry is one thing. This was a shadow government, so [Treasurer] Josh Frydenberg [Finance Minister] Matthias Komann, [Home Affairs Minister] Karen Andrews and others were not even known to the secretaries of ministries such as the Treasury Department and the Home Office. “
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Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. His focus is on national politics such as federal politics, the COVID-19 response and Australia-China relations. Any tips? Please contact [email protected]