Scandal in Australia: ex-Prime Minister Scott Morrison assumes having granted himself powers in secret

He won't throw in the towel.

Former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison assumed on Wednesday, with confused explanations, to have secretly granted himself five ministerial portfolios during the pandemic period.

During a long, agitated and sometimes heated press conference, Scott Morrison rejected calls for him to resign from parliament.

Read alsoThe Prime Minister had granted himself positions in secret: five minutes to understand the scandal that is shaking Australia

He faced an avalanche of questions about why he did not tell the public - or even many of his fellow ministers - that he was giving himself additional powers.

“We had to take extraordinary measures to put safeguards in place,” he justified himself, explaining in a confused way that he had ensured the continuity of government in the event that a minister was unavailable.

The former Prime Minister thus declared that he had used these powers only once, to override his Minister of Resources and block a controversial gas exploitation project at sea. While indicating that this decision was unrelated to the Covid -19.

"I'm very happy with this decision," he said.

The former Conservative Prime Minister added that he had "derived no personal benefit" from appointing himself to these various ministerial posts.

Questions about transparency

Scott Morrison had secretly appointed himself from March 2020 to five ministerial posts including those of Health, Finance and Resources, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in recent days.

The scandal has shed light on the opaque nature of decision-making in the Australian government and raised questions about the need for stronger democratic safeguards.

Mr Morrison's Conservative coalition lost the election in May, after nearly a decade of centre-right government.

In Australia, the Prime Minister chooses the members of his government from among those elected who are then sworn in by the Governor-General in an official ceremony that is usually public and recorded.