Howard says it was unnecessary for Morrison to take on secret ministries

John Howard is critical of Scott Morrison swearing himself in to five secret ministries, saying it was unwise, unnecessary and he would never have done it.

Former prime minister John Howard. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Damian Shaw

John Howard has spoken to Scott Morrison about the latter swearing himself in to five secret ministries without telling the cabinet, the parliament, his party or the voters, and said it was unwise, unnecessary and he would never have done it.

“I’m critical of it and I’ve told him that,” Mr Howard said to The Weekend Australian. “I didn’t know about it until after it came out post the election. I don’t know why he did it. I would never have done it. But it was unwise.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison, who swore himself in to five secret ministries without telling the cabinet, the parliament, his party or the voters. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Martin Ollman

“It was unnecessary for Scott Morrison to do what he did because he had it at his disposal to appoint and remove ministers. And if he was unhappy with what somebody was doing, he could have just removed the minister.

“If somebody gets ill, you appoint an acting minister, and you can appoint yourself as the acting minister. But you have got to tell people that and you have got to disclose it. You have got to put it on the record.”

Mr Howard, interviewed ahead of the release of the 2002 cabinet papers by the National Archives of Australia on Sunday, did not accept the argument that the secret swearing-in to several ministries undermined democracy.

“No, because nothing in the end hung on it except that one decision (to override resources minister Keith Pitt and veto a PEP-11 gas exploration authority off Sydney’s coastline),” Mr Howard said.

“He could easily have achieved that outcome by saying to the minister, bring it to cabinet. I mean, it’s very easy when you’re the prime minister and you want an outcome and the minister disagrees with you and wants another outcome. And then you bring it to cabinet and resolve it.”

Mr Howard reflected on chairing cabinet as prime minister between 1996 and 2007, and his time as a minister in Malcolm Fraser’s government.

“The rules of the system require collective decision-making after everybody has had an opportunity to put their case, and it requires the prime minister as well as the ­ministers to be accountable to the cabinet.” Mr Howard said.

“The prime minister is first among equals and the system works if the rest of the cabinet recognises his primacy but he recognises their equality …

Then prime minister Malcolm Fraser and federal treasurer John Howard in 1981. Picture: Graeme Thomson

“I think one of the reasons why my government did achieve quite a deal of success, and why it was very stable, was that we ran a proper cabinet system.

“Fraser was pretty good, although he had too many meetings and he announced too many things in advance. But he was a very well-informed prime minister – he was better informed than most ministers on their own submissions.

“Malcolm had no compunction about suddenly calling cabinet meetings.

“You could be committed as a minister to going to Brisbane that night to address a breakfast the following morning and you would have to pull out at the last minute. It was dreadful,” Mr Howard said.

“One of the things I promised myself when I became prime minister was not to do that.”