SYDNEY: The Australian centre-left Labor government tabled a rare censure motion in the House of Representatives against former prime minister Scott Morrison, who as a conservative prime minister has threatened to appoint himself to five ministerial posts between March 2020 and May. given. took an unprecedented step. 2021, without the knowledge of the current minister. The House passed the resolution 86 to 50. Its passage was certain because the Labor Party has a majority in the House, while most opposition MPs dismissed it as ‘political payback’. Morrison is the first former Prime Minister to condemn. The censure motion against Morrison, who remains an opposition MP, has no effect other than tarnishing his political legacy.
Morrison on Wednesday (30 November) publicly commented on the controversy for the first time since his power grab in August was revealed through interviews he gave to two journalists about his government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. were given about He has since issued two written statements through lawyers.
Morrison said he gave himself additional ministerial powers at a time when Australia was “dealing with extreme uncertainty and unpredictability”. “I am proud. At a time of extreme testing, my government stood up and faced the chasm of uncertainty our country faced and saw Australia through the pressure and storm of a regional bully,” Morrison said, China Told Referring to the house.
“Our nation has faced the greatest challenges since World War II: drought, natural disasters, global pandemics, global and domestic recessions, pandemic causes and a rising and assertive China seeking to force Australia into submission Used to be.” are doing,” Morrison said.
The motion of censure states that by failing to inform his cabinet, parliament and the Australian people of his extra-ministerial powers, Morrison has undermined responsible government and eroded public confidence in Australia’s democracy .
The government, elected in May, cited the findings of an inquiry into Morrison’s extraordinary power grab. Retired High Court Justice Virginia Bell, in her inquiry last week, recommended that laws be made to publish public notices of ministerial appointments as well as the division of ministerial responsibilities. The government introduced such laws in the House on Wednesday.
Morrison said he welcomed Bell’s recommendations, noting that his office had never issued instructions preventing him from making public his extra-ministerial powers.
Morrison gave himself the portfolios of health, finance, treasury, home affairs and resources. But he exercised those powers only once when he overturned a decision by former Resources Minister Keith Pitt to approve a controversial gas drilling project off the north Sydney coast that would have damaged his government’s chances of re-election.
Asset Energy, a company behind the project, is fighting a decision to halt development of Morrison’s 4,576-square-kilometre (1,767-sq-mile) offshore basin, known as PEP-11, in federal court. .
The asset accused Morrison of bias and failure to provide procedural fairness when he blocked the project in March. Morrison said he copied Pitt’s powers to reverse that specific decision. “The decision I made on PEP-11 was the right one,” Morrison said.
Sydney independent Sophie Scamps, who campaigned against PEP-11 ahead of May’s election and supported the censure motion, described Morrison’s power grab as ‘deeply concerning about his tendency towards authoritarianism’.
Fellow independent Kate Chaney, who also supported the censure motion, said Australia was ‘dipping its toe into autocracy’ under Morrison. Morrison said he thought his office had told former finance minister Simon Birmingham that the prime minister had also taken over the finance portfolio. Birmingham was not informed.
Morrison said, “I accept that offense was unintentional by not disclosing the arrangements and apologize to those who were offended.” “I do not apologize for taking action, especially the prudential excesses (of ministerial powers) in a national crisis to save lives and livelihoods,” he said.
Morrison rated the stand-up against China among his greatest achievements while in office from August 2018 to May this year. “We stood up to an intimidating Chinese regime that sought to coerce and impose itself on our democracy through threats, sanctions and intimidation,” Morrison said.
Australia’s troubled relationship with China is showing signs of improvement under the Labor government. Morrison’s successor Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this month held Australia’s first official bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping since Morrison’s predecessor, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, in 2016.
Calling for Morrison’s condemnation, Albanese said the former prime minister had displayed arrogance, arrogance and denial, but no remorse. Albanese said, “He should apologize to the Australian people for undermining democracy and therefore every member of this House should support this motion.”
Morrison is the first lawmaker to be censured by Parliament since former Conservative minister Bruce Bilson in 2018. Bilson was unanimously condemned for failing to announce his private sector salary before retiring from Parliament.
(with inputs from AP)