Portfolio power grab ‘completely lawful’, says Scott Morrison

Scott Morrison says it was ‘necessary’ to secretly oversee five portfolios during Covid-19 because there was an expectation he was responsible for ‘every single thing that was going on’.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison in Sydney on Wednesday. Picture: AFP

Scott Morrison says it was “necessary” to secretly oversee five portfolios during Covid-19 because there was an expectation he was responsible for “every single thing that was going on”.

The former prime minister said he had acted “completely lawfully” in having himself ­appointed – between March 2020 and May 2021 – to administer the departments of health, finance, treasury, home affairs and ­resources.

Justifying the appointments, which he conceded had offended his colleagues, Mr Morrison said only he could understand the “weight of responsibility that was on my shoulders, and no one else”.

He took issue with being referred to as a “second” or “joint” minister in the portfolios, saying the arrangements gave him authority to “exercise decisions in an emergency situation”.

“I did not act as minister. There were not two ministers doing the same job – me as prime minister or the minister,” he said. “I did not take over the treasury portfolio. I did not take over the home affairs portfolio. I did not take over the health portfolio. I was administratively sworn-in.”

He reiterated that he only used the ministerial powers when he cancelled the controversial PEP-11 gas project off the NSW coast and overruled then resources minister Keith Pitt.

Asked why he requested to oversee treasury and home ­affairs in May 2021, more than a year after the pandemic started, he said it was because they were areas where ministers could exercise unilateral decisions without reference to cabinet. There was no “special issue” that prompted the move.

He rejected the notion he had “deceived” former home affairs minister Karen Andrews and former treasurer Josh Frydenberg, whom he had spoke this week and said were “the best of friends”.

Mr Morrison pushed back against criticism of Governor-General David Hurley. General Hurley, PM&C public servants and members of Mr Morrison’s staff knew about the arrangements.

“The criticisms of the Governor-General are egregious,” he said. “The Governor-General acted with absolute propriety and did everything that was expected of him in these arrangements.

“There was no swearing-in ceremonies. These things were done administratively.”

Mr Morrison did not believe, to “the best of my knowledge”, that he approved any grants, contracts or spending under the five portfolios, which he had the power to administer until he lost the May 21 election.

While former attorney-general Christian Porter worked with Mr Morrison to hatch the radical plan for him to be sworn-in to ­administer the health portfolio, Mr Porter was not involved in discussions about overseeing ­finance, treasury, home affairs and resources.

Anthony Albanese condemned Mr Morrison.

“He … said that Australia was a great democracy. Well, he treated it as anything but that. He failed,” the Prime Minister said.