India

Australia PM could launch inquiry into secret minries saga

Morrison, who stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after losing a general election in May, was secretly sworn in to five key minries during the pandemic, which represented an unprecedented assumption of powers, it emerged this week.
The action has drawn criticism from the Labour government and Morrison’s own party, but the former prime miner has defended the moves on the basis that he felt responsibility for the nation in the pandemic was his alone.
On Sunday, Albanese said the government would receive advice on Monday from the Solicitor General, the country’s second highest law officer, on the legality of Morrison’s actions.
Albanese indicated the government would also consider an inquiry and reforms to ensure the actions could not be repeated.“We’ll examine all of those issues after we receive the Solicitor General’s advice. I am running a proper cabinet government, that has proper processes, and we’ll give full consideration to it,” Albanese told Sky News television.
He said while the Solicitor General would advise on legal issues, there also were broader issues that needed to be probed.“There’s separate questions about the functioning of our democracy, about conventions and whether any conventions have been overturned, and whether there’s a need for any reforms required to ensure that something like this can never happen again,” the prime miner said.
Albanese has previously said Morrison had attacked the Westminster system of government secretly appointing himself to the portfolios, which included home affairs, treasury, health, finance and resources between 2020 and 2021.
Morrison has said he did not “take over” the minries, after being sworn in the governor general, and no miners were interfered with except on one occasion, where he rejected a resources project.

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