Peter Dutton refuses to back calls for former PM Scott Morrison to resign

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton will not demand Scott Morrison steps down amid revelations of the former prime minister’s secret ministry power grabs.

Peter Dutton says he will not call for Scott Morrison to resign after revelations the former prime minister had sworn himself into five additional portfolios during the pandemic.

The Opposition Leader said it was time for “cooler heads to prevail”, and argued there were bigger issues that Australian families were worried about including cost of living pressures and energy prices.

His comments come after former home affairs minister Karen Andrews this morning called on Mr Morrison to resign from parliament.

Mr Dutton said he would await for the Solicitor-General’s legal advice before making any decisions on how to move forward. The advice is expected to be given to Anthony Albanese on Monday.

“At the start of this pandemic and leaders all over the world, it was a warlike situation and there is concern about what would happen is a Prime Minister, as [former] prime minister Morrison pointed out this morning, there was concern as to what would happen in the shadow, in the cabinet at the time and I was sent to hospital and people were in ventilators and people were dying at that stage and that’s the context in which prime minister at the time, Mr Morrison, made some of those decisions,” Mr Dutton said.

“As he explained this morning, I wasn’t aware of decisions, I wasn’t there for decision-making in that regard and I think he’s made statements this morning that you can reflect on.

“The Prime Minister has sought legal advice, he will get that back Monday and there is a process set in place and so I think we should respect the process and let’s see what the Prime Minister is able to advise next week,” Mr Dutton said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ms Andrews told The Australian she had “no knowledge” and called on Mr Morrison to resign.

“I had absolutely no knowledge and was not told by the PM, PMO nor the department secretary. This undermines the integrity of government,” Mr Andrews told The Australian.

The Prime Minister on Tuesday announced Mr Morrison swore himself into home affairs, treasury, health, finance, and the entire department of industry, science, energy and resources during the pandemic.

Mr Albanese said the revelations were an “extraordinary and unprecedented trashing” of Australia’s democracy, and accused the Morrison government of operating in secret.

“It is completely extraordinary that these appointments were kept secret by the Morrison government, it is completely contradictory, too, for example, the questions that ministers answered on the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate,” Mr Albanese said.

“It turns out I was wrong about there being just two jobs. He told us he was a bulldozer and his Coalition colleagues just shrugged their shoulders and cheered him on, not in one election but in two elections.”.

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