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Scott Morrison: The former Australian Prime Minister defended his actions
Photo: Mick Tsikas / IMAGO / AAP
The incident caused outrage in Australia: Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison secretly took control of five ministries during the pandemic.
Now he was reprimanded for it by the deputies.
The Australian Parliament has reprimanded former Prime Minister Morrison for secretly taking on several ministerial posts.
86 MEPs voted in favor of the motion, 50 against.
Morrison "undermined public confidence in Australian democracy" and made proper accountability impossible, it said.
The former head of government had taken on other ministerial posts from March 2020 until he was voted out in May this year without informing the public.
Among other things, he was in charge of the ministries of finance, interior and economy.
After the events became known, Morrison explained that his country was in an exceptional situation due to the corona pandemic, which required extraordinary measures.
"He owes the Australian people an apology for undermining democracy," said Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
Morrison, on the other hand, has vehemently defended his actions in Parliament, accusing the current centre-left government of “political intimidation”.
Morrison doesn't want to apologize
"I'm proud of what I've achieved in this office and I'm proud of my government," he said.
He admitted that he should not have kept secret the assumption of the ministerial posts.
However, he will not apologize for "taking measures in a national crisis (...) to save lives and maintain livelihoods".
The conservative politician rejects calls for a withdrawal from parliament.
It is the first time in Australian history that Parliament has formally censured a former prime minister.
A recent investigation by a former Supreme Court justice concluded that Morrison's actions, while lawful, "undermined confidence in the government."
asc/AFP
