Australian PM Anthony Albanese says he will investigate reports that his predecessor, Scott Morrison, secretly assumed three roles in the ministry. Mr Morrison became joint minister for the health, finance and resources portfolios in the two years before he lost power in May, local media report.
Mr Albanese said he would seek legal advice about the decisions, calling them “unacceptable” and “just weird”. The former prime minister has declined to comment.
On Monday, Governor-General David Hurley – the Queen’s representative in Australia – confirmed he had signed an “administrative instrument” that had allowed Mr Morrison to secretly take on the portfolios. It was “consistent with section 64 of the constitution”, a spokesperson said.
But Mr Albanese, law experts and Mr Morrison’s former colleagues have criticised the secrecy surrounding it. Even some ministers were reportedly not aware they were sharing portfolios with the former prime minister.
“This is the sort of ‘tin pot’ activity that we would ridicule if it was in a non-democratic country,” Mr Albanese told reporters on Monday.
Credit: bbc.com
