Former PM Scott Morrison was ‘sedated’ at night for his insomnia throughout pandemic

A new revelation about Scott Morrison has emerged amid the raging controversy about his secret moves as prime minister.

Scott Morrison was so worried during the Covid-19 pandemic that he suffered from insomnia and relied on drugs to sedate him into sleep.

As controversy erupts over the former prime minister’s decision to secretly appoint himself to key portfolios during the pandemic, the revelations are contained in a new book Plagued that is based on extensive interviews with Mr Morrison.

The drug regimen to tackle his insomnia, as outlined in the book, was said to include a “mild sedative” that is not referenced by brand name.

“He’d often wake at 3am, wrestling with the scale of what was facing the country and his responsibilities in dealing with it,” the book says.

“He’d rouse in a fitful state and look at the ceiling for hours on end, saying to himself, ‘I have to sleep or I won’t get through this week.’

“More than once, so he could function the following day, he would take a mild sedative.

“He took half a sleeping pill to make sure he was fresh for the next day.”

‘What on earth is going on?’

Sleepless Scott Morrison was so worried during the Covid-19 pandemic that he suffered from insomnia and relied on drugs to sedate him into sleep.

However, it is the former prime minister’s secret arrangements regarding cabinet jobs that could now spark a full-blown inquiry.

The revelations that Mr Morrison swore himself in as health minister and finance minister are outlined in the new book.

It states this was the idea of former attorney-general Christian Porter.

However, Mr Porter has told colleagues he remembers the arrangements relating to then-health minister Greg Hunt but does not recall any discussions involving then-finance minister Mathias Cormann.

Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey said the secret arrangements were “bizarre” and “utterly inappropriate”.

“What on earth was going on, I don‘t know, but the secrecy involved in this is just simply bizarre,” she told the ABC.

“I mean, you know, you just wonder what is wrong with these people that they have to do everything in secret and they can‘t ’fess up to what they’re doing.

“Because if they had done it and made it public, [it] probably would have been seen [as] pretty reasonable. But hiding it? That’s the weird thing.”

If Mr Morrison did swear himself into the finance minister position, he also never told Mr Cormann.

Former resources minister Keith Pitt and industry minister Angus Taylor were also unaware the then-prime minister had control of their portfolios.

While Mr Taylor stayed in the dark, at some point in 2021, Mr Pitt discovered the arrangement.

“There is no doubt it was unusual,’’ Mr Pitt told Sky News. “I am not going to throw him under a bus, I am just not. It’s clearly something I was concerned about.”

Peter Dutton did learn at some point about the health portfolio arrangements, apparently put in place in case Mr Hunt got sick and couldn’t exercise the extraordinary pandemic powers he held to make decisions without parliamentary approval.

Governor-General defends role

Governor-General David Hurley has confirmed he appointed Scott Morrison to administer portfolios other than his own.

“The Governor-General, following normal process and acting on the advice of the government of the day, appointed former prime minister Morrison to administer portfolios other than the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,” a spokesman for the Governor-General’s official secretary said.

“The appointments were made consistently with section 64 of the Constitution.

“It is not uncommon for ministers to be appointed to administer departments other than their portfolio responsibility. These appointments do not require a swearing-in ceremony – the Governor-General signs an administrative instrument on the advice of the prime minister.

“Questions around appointments of this nature are a matter for the government of the day and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Similarly, the decision whether to publicise appointments to administer additional portfolios is a matter for the government of the day.”

Governor-General David Hurley confirmed he appointed Scott Morrison to administer portfolios other than his own.

Scott Morrison ‘doesn’t engage in day-to-day politics’

On Monday, when asked about the secret ministry scandal by Sky News host Kieran Gilbert, Mr Morrison texted back: “No, haven’t seen what he has said. Since leaving the job I haven’t engaged in any day-to-day politics,’’ he said.

The former prime minister is still collecting a $211,250 salary as a backbench MP and recently skipped the first week of parliament to travel overseas.

The former prime minister is still collecting $211, 250 as a backbench MP and recently skipped the first week of parliament to travel overseas.

‘Scott Morrison was running a shadow government’

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed he was seeking advice on the legality of Mr Morrison’s appointments.

“This is extraordinary and unprecedented,” he said.

“In Australia, we have a Westminster system of government that produces accountability. This is the sort of tin-pot activity that we would ridicule if it was in a non-democratic country.

“Let’s be very clear – Australians knew during the election campaign that I was running a shadow ministry. What they didn’t know was that Scott Morrison was running a shadow government,’’ he said.

“This is very contrary to our Westminster system. It is unbecoming. It was cynical and it was just weird that this has occurred.”

‘A complete breakdown of the Westminster system’

Institute of Public Affairs senior fellow John Roskam said that the revelations about Scott Morrison’s ghost ministries demanded a full and frank independent inquiry.

And IPA director of the legal rights program Morgan Begg has said it could be “unconstitutional”.

“It is a complete breakdown of our Westminster system of government and is arguably unconstitutional,” Mr Begg said.

“The extraordinary revelations leave Prime Minister Anthony Albanese with no choice but to establish an independent inquiry with powers to subpoena any relevant documents and to compel witnesses to appear.”

Plagued, by Simon Benson and Geoff Chambers, is out on Tuesday

Originally published as Former PM Scott Morrison was ‘sedated’ at night for his insomnia throughout pandemic