Morrison secret ministries ‘eroded public trust in Australia’s democracy’: censure motion

Scott Morrison will be censured on Wednesday for eroding public trust in Australia’s democracy, the first time in history a former prime minister has been formally reprimanded by the federal parliament.

The text of the censure motion, which will be debated on Wednesday morning, notes the Constitution provides for responsible government in which the executive is accountable to the parliament and through that, to the voters.

Tasmanian Liberal MP Bridget Archer says she will cross the floor to support the censure motion.Credit: James Brickwood

It notes Morrison was secretly sworn in to administer the departments of treasury, home affairs, health, finance, and industry, science, energy and resources during his last term in government, which prompted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to order an inquiry by former High Court judge Virginia Bell.

Bell’s report found the former prime minister had “fundamentally undermined” the principles of responsible government.

The House would therefore “censure the member for Cook for failing to disclose his appointments to the House of Representatives, the Australian people and the cabinet, which undermined responsible government and eroded public trust in Australia’s democracy”.

Ahead of the extraordinary censure motion, Liberal backbencher Bridget Archer broke ranks with her party to confirm she would vote for the censure motion. She told ABC 24 it would be “an act of extreme hypocrisy for me, personally, given the stance I’ve taken in the past couple of years on issues such as integrity, to do anything other than to support that motion”.

“If I have an opportunity I think it would certainly be appropriate to speak on it, and given the obvious gravity of the action that I feel that I need to take, I think it will be appropriate to speak on this,” Archer said on Tuesday afternoon.

“I think that’s important in terms of the future of the party to look at the lessons of the past.”

Archer – who crossed the floor last year in support of independent MP Helen Haines’ anti-corruption legislation – earlier delivered a withering rebuke to Morrison, questioning his actions and highlighting divisions within the Coalition over the issue.

“It’s bigger than Scott Morrison in a way, what we are talking about, I think the words of the Bell report were corrosive to democracy. The Australian people care about that, they demonstrated that in their response to their views on integrity,” the Tasmanian MP told this masthead. “It’s a value we should uphold.”

Archer’s position stands in contrast to Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and other members of his front bench, who have accused the government of taking an “opportunistic swipe” at Morrison.

On Tuesday morning, a Coalition spokesperson said the opposition would consider any legislation to improve the transparency of ministerial appointments “but it is our position to very much not support the censure motion”.

Dutton told a joint party room meeting Albanese had chosen to use the remaining time in the parliamentary sitting year for political stunts.

“So much for a kinder and gentler parliament, this is Anthony Albanese at his political brawler best, and we will not be a part of it,” Dutton told the party room.

“The government are clearly taking an opportunistic swipe at the former prime minister through what’s essentially a stunt in the lower house.”

The spokesperson said Morrison stood up and thanked the party room for its support over the past week and since the election.

In his response to the Bell report last week, Morrison referred to the fact the ministry appointments had been made “during a time of significant challenge” and noted the inquiry had found no unlawful conduct.

Albanese told a Labor caucus meeting on Tuesday the inquiry into Morrison was serious and devastating for the previous government.

“We can never go back to the chaos and dysfunction of the previous government,” he said.

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus told ABC Radio National Breakfast that Morrison’s actions in secretly obtaining multiple ministries were “unprecedented and wrong behaviour”.

“The parliament itself must mark its disapproval of this conduct so that it never happens again,” he said.

Former cabinet minister Bruce Billson was the last MP to be censured, in March 2018.

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