Former Australian PM Morrison Accused of "Undermining Democracy"

MAY 23 2022·Updated AUG 16 2022

Story

Image credit: Reuters [via Al Jazeera]

The Facts

Australia's PM Anthony Albanese has accused his predecessor Scott Morrison of undermining the nation's democracy by quietly appointing himself minister of several offices during the COVID pandemic.
NBC
News Corp Australia reported that Morrison secretly held positions in treasury, finance, health, home affairs, and resources from May 2020 to May 2021.
Axios
The former PM, who remained a member of Parliament, now faces calls for his resignation.
Axios
Morrison stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after losing an election in May. He has been scrutinized by senior leaders of both the Liberal and the National Party who were reportedly unaware of his alleged misdeeds.
NBC
Amid concerns of possible legal challenges, Albanese and the Liberal Party's new leader Peter Dutton have requested advice from the country's Solicitor-General in order to decide the next steps.
Al Jazeera
In response to the accusations, Morrison said he regrets that his actions have caused such outrage but he believes that he "acted in good faith in a crisis."
Reuters

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Narrative A

Although Morrison may have exercised poor judgment, he acted in good faith. And while his actions might have been inconsistent with constitutional convention, they were likely legal. The unconventional times during the pandemic demanded unconventional measures and he was under significant pressure to safeguard the government and the public.

RNZ

Narrative B

It's irrelevant whether Morrison acted in good faith or not; his behavior was deceitful, unacceptable, and undermined everything that democracy stands for. There's a reason Australia has a constitution and everyone within the government should be working to uphold it.