Scott Morrison has become the first former prime minister to be censured by the federal parliament after a motion against him passed by 86 votes to 50 today.
The House of Representatives voted to censure him over the secret ministries affair after a long and sometimes passionate debate.
Among the MPs who supported the motion of no confidence was Liberal Bridget Archer, who broke ranks with Coalition MPs.
Scott Morrison has argued that any suggestion he served as portfolios minister in which he was sworn to secrecy is “false”. (Rhett Wyman/Sydney Morning Herald)
Leader of the House Tony Burke introduced the motion and described Morrison’s actions during the former coalition government as an “erosion of public trust”.
He made a scathing attack on Morrison, who remains the member for Cook, for swearing in multiple portfolios.
“The member for Cook did not tell the ministers themselves that he had sworn his portfolios,” Mr Burke said.
“Your cabinet was not told. Departmental secretaries were not told. Parliament was not told, and through parliament, the Australian people were not told.
“The member for Cook, in doing this, not only fell below the expected standards, he undermined them, rejected them, attacked them and abused them.”
Morrison defended his secret seizure of ministries and called today’s motion of no confidence in parliament “political intimidation”.
Morrison made a strong defense of taking on additional portfolios during the pandemic and criticized the no-confidence motion as politically motivated.
“I am proud, Mr. President, at a time of extreme judgment, my government stood up and faced the abyss of uncertainty that our country was facing and the duress of a region and saw Australia through the storm Australia emerged stronger under my government.
“I have no intention now of subjecting myself to political intimidation by this government, using their numbers in this place to impose their retribution on a political opponent.”
Leader of the House Tony Burke said former prime minister Scott Morrison’s actions had eroded confidence in parliament. (new)
Mr Morrison also insisted that any suggestion he served as minister on the portfolios he was sworn to secrecy was “false”.
“It is strange to describe these actions as a power grab as they were never exercised or even used to exert influence over the relevant ministers,” he said.
“They were simply a latent redundancy.”
But he admitted he was wrong not to tell former finance minister Simon Birmingham he should take his ministry.
“My omission was not to inform the (then) Finance Minister, who I believed had been informed through my office. I was wrong about this, which only came to my attention when I made public these matters,” he told parliament.
The last time an MP was formally censured in the federal parliament was in 2018.
Today’s motion of no confidence follows the publication of the report of the investigation into the scandal of the secret ministries of the former Superior Court judge Virginia Bell.
Scott Morrison insisted on taking on additional ministries that were needed during the height of the global pandemic. (Wayne Taylor/The Age)
The report said it was “unnecessary” for Morrison to appoint himself secret finance and health minister.
Bell concluded that the secrecy surrounding ministerial appointments was “fit to undermine public confidence in government”.
“Once the appointments became known, the secrecy with which they had been shrouded was corrosive of confidence in government,” he wrote.
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