‘It’s time to go’: Senior Liberal demands Morrison resign

“The former government, Scott Morrison and others who wereinvolved in this, deliberately undermined those checks and balances that are so important and essential for our democracy.”

Frydenberg didn’t know of Morrison’s move

The Australian Financial Review understands Treasurer Josh Frydenberg, who had a close relationship with Mr Morrison, did not know his portfolio had been taken on by Mr Morrison, nor did Treasurer Secretary Steven Kennedy.

Former prime minister Scott Morrison took on ministerial responsibilities for five portfolios: health, finance, social services, home affairs and treasury. AP

Treasurer Jim Chalmers has received this assurance from Dr Kennedy.

Ms Andrews, now the shadow home affairs minister, told the Financial Review she also did not know she’d been ghosted and called on Mr Morrison to resign from Parliament.

“I had no idea,” she said.

“I didn’t hear anything from the prime minister, his office or the departmental secretary.

“I don’t know who knew about this but no-one old me.”

As for Mr Morrison remaining in parliament, she said, “it’s time to go”.

“This just can’t continue. There can be no justification for why this was not publicly revealed.”

Dutton wants ‘cooler heads’

Opposition leader Peter Dutton did not back the call. He said, “it was time for cooler heads to prevail” and he would wait for Mr Albanese’s process to unfold before taking a firm view.

He said Mr Albanese was the prime minister now, not an opposition head kicker and people were worried about the cost of living.

Mr Morrison apologised to colleagues but gave no indication he would quit.

Following advice from his department, Mr Albanese said Mr Morrison used an administrative instrument to take the health ministry on March 14, 2020, and the finance portfolio on March 30.

On April 15, 2020, Mr Morrison became resources minister and used his powers to override the actual minister Keith Pitt. He vetoed a politically sensitive gas exploration off the NSW coast to try to save blue-ribbon Liberal seats under threat from teal independents.

On May 6, 2021, a few days before the federal budget and then contemplating an early election at the end of the year, Mr Morrison became treasurer and home affairs minister, ghosting the recently appointed Karen Andrews.

Mr Albanese will hold an inquiry into the saga but believes there may be more revelations to come.

He has asked the Commonwealth Solicitor-General to advise him whether any illegality was involved. He will receive that advice next Monday.

Before Mr Albanese spoke to reporters of the latest revelations, Mr Morrison told radio 2GB he made himself the back-up health and finance minsters at the start of the pandemic in case Greg Hunt or Mathias Cormann were felled by the virus, for which there was no vaccine. Mr Hunt apparently knew of the decision, while Mr Cormann did not.

An ‘unconventional time’: Morrison

“Sometimes we forget what was happening two years ago and the situation we were dealing with; it was an unconventional time and an unprecedented time,” he said.

“Boris Johnson almost died one night. We had ministers go down with COVID.

“We had to take some extraordinary measures to put safeguards in place. “Fortunately, none of these in the case of the finance and health portfolio were ever required to be used;

“The powers in those portfolios, they weren’t overseen by cabinet. The minister … in both cases had powers that few, if any, ministers in our federation’s history had.”

Mr Morrison said he did not recollect other ministries he took on outside health, finance and resources but documents show he was also sworn in to oversee aspects of the social services portfolio.

As for his decision to veto the PEP-11. gas project, which Mr Pitt wanted to approve, Mr Morrison said all actions were taken to ensure the “buck stopped with the prime minister” as he had no legal powers to directly order a minister to take a certain decision.

“If I wished to be the decision maker, then I had to take the steps that I took,” he said.

“People know where the buck stops and the buck stops with the prime minister. I sought to be the decision maker on that issue because of its importance.”

Mr Morrison apologised for not informing Mr Cormann that he had ghosted him in finance.

“It was regrettable … but things were moving quickly at the time,” he said.

“That was an oversight … I’ve apologised to Mathias for that,” he said.