Health News at Your Fingertips

There were 2,145 new cases in the last reporting period, and 11 people are in intensive care.

There were 1,336 new cases in the last reporting period, and 13 people are in intensive care.

Josh Butler

Hanson renews calls for royal commission into pandemic response

The case for a Covid royal commission has been strengthened by explosive revelations about Scott Morrison’s secret ministry positions, One Nation’s Pauline Hanson says, renewing her calls for a probe into Australia’s pandemic response.

Labor members of a Senate committee into Covid recently backed a royal commission, but the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has stopped short of explicitly committing to such an inquiry. Hanson on Tuesday accused Morrison of an “overreach of authority”.

“I’ve always said Mr Morrison was arrogant, but this well and truly takes the cake,” Hanson said.

It beggars belief he appointed himself to several ministerial positions without notifying parliament, the people or even his own cabinet ministers. Yet it’s part and parcel of the culture of secrecy and arrogance that was fostered by all Australian governments at the height of the pandemic.

Hanson said Australians “have the right to know everything about” how governments managed the pandemic.

Asked about a royal commission earlier today, Albanese said he supported an inquiry but didn’t explicitly endorse a royal commission.

“I’ve said consistently that once we were through the pandemic, it would be inconceivable, regardless of who won the election in May, that you would not have a proper examination of the circumstances around the handling of the pandemic,” he said.

The Australian: two former department secretaries unaware of Morrison self-appointment

Returning to Scott Morrison again, the Australian newspaper is reporting that then Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy and then Department of Home Affairs’ secretary Michael Pezzullo were both unaware Morrison appointed himself minister under both portfolios.

Perrottet says recruitment process that gave Barilaro NY trade job was ‘flawed from the outset’

Amid everything happening today, the NSW premier, Dominic Perrottet, has been speaking to reporters about the review into the recruitment process that handed former deputy premier John Barilaro a $500,000-a-year trade job in New York.

Perrottet called said recruitment process “disappointing,” adding that it had caused many people “distress” and that it was “flawed from the outset.” Importantly, though, the premier seems to placing the entire blame on the process itself:

The process was flawed from the outset.

The clear processes that were in place were not there and not followed. The fundamental issue here is not on any of the trade commissioners, it’s not on any of the applicants.

The fundamental issue here is the flawed recruitment process that is taking place. That’s not their fault. That’s not anyone’s fault in relation to those people who have applied.

Mr Barilaro has applied for this role. He was not to know of the flawed process that has been in place. No minister knew of the flawed process that was in place.

Mistakes will happen from time to time, that’s just part of politics, that’s part of any government. What’s very clear to me here is that the structures of this recruitment process were not robust.

At the press conference, where he announced changes to the Government Sector Employment Act, Perrottet said he hoped he can restore confidence in his government after the controversial appointment:

I want to restore that confidence and I believe that these changes do that.

Mistakes will happen from time to time, and that’s just part of politics. This change today ensures that these errors won’t happen again.

Josh Butler

Morrison justifies resources appointment as in the ‘national interest’

While Scott Morrison claimed he never used the powers of finance, health, resources or treasury portfolios, his long statement goes on to outline “The decision in relation to the Department of Industry, Energy and Resources was undertaken in April 2021 for separate reasons” outside the pandemic.

He said he took over that portfolio so he could “directly” consider the Pep-11 gas exploration project. That project could only be considered by the resources minister, not cabinet – Morrison said he had “full confidence” in the then resources minister Keith Pitt, but his statement did not explain why Morrison decided to step in himself.

He said:

I believe I made the right decision in the national interest. This was the only matter I involved myself directly with in this or any other department.

Josh Butler

Morrison calls appointments a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ safeguard

Scott Morrison’s statement goes on to apologise to his former ministerial colleagues “for any offence”. It’s been reported that a number of the former ministers – treasurer Josh Frydenberg, home affairs minister Karen Andrews, resources minister Keith Pitt and finance minister Mathias Cormann – were not aware of the arrangements until well after they were made.

Morrison earlier today said he had no recollection of being sworn into any portfolios beyond health, finance and resources. In his statement, he said he sought advice from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet today, and “had not recollected these arrangements having been put in place. There was a lot going on at the time.”

Morrison said he never used any of the powers of his additional ministries in health, finance, resources or treasury – and claimed that had he done so, he would have disclosed his ministry position and authority for doing so.

He said:

The crisis was a highly dynamic environment and it was important to plan ahead and take what precautions could lawfully be put in place to ensure I could act, as prime minister, if needed..

Morrison claimed he did not get copied in on ministerial briefs, saying he was not a “co-minister”. Instead he described the arrangements “as a ‘break glass in case of emergency’ safeguard.”

Josh Butler

Morrison admits ministry appointments were unnecessary in hindsight

More on Morrison’s social media post.

Scott Morrison has posted a very long explanation of his secret ministerial appointments on Facebook, confirming he did indeed take on home affairs and treasury responsibility in 2021, and saying it was because of his concern over ministers at a “junior level” potentially having to take over those roles.

In a statement nearly 1,300 words in length, the former prime minister justified his actions in being secretly sworn into five separate portfolios, saying he “considered it necessary to put in place safeguards, redundancies and contingencies to ensure the continuity and effective operation of government during this crisis period, which extended for the full period of my term”.

He said:

I took the precaution of being given authority to administer various departments of state should the need arise due to incapacity of a minister or in the national interest. This was done in relation to departments where ministers were vested with specific powers under their legislation that were not subject to oversight by Cabinet, including significant financial authorities.

It is not uncommon for multiple ministers to be sworn to administer the same department. However, given that such additional ministers were in a more junior position in the relevant departments, and would not be familiar with all the details of the pandemic response, I considered it appropriate that the redundancy be put in place at a higher level within the government and not at a more junior level.

He said finance and health were the first ones, in early 2020, with home affairs and treasury added in May 2021 “as an added administrative precaution, as a ‘belts and braces’ approach”.

However Morrison did not explain why he waited until mid-2021 to make this change. This was before the Melbourne lockdown in late May 2021 and the Sydney lockdowns in June that year.

I did not consider it was likely that it would be necessary to exercise powers in these areas [home affairs and Treasury], but the future was very difficult to predict during the pandemic.

As events demonstrated with the resurgence of Covid-19 in the second half of 2021, we could never take certainty for granted. In hindsight these arrangements were unnecessary and until seeking advice from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet today, I had not recollected these arrangements having been put in place. There was a lot going on at the time.

Morrison apologised to his colleagues “for any offence.”

The post did not directly address calls for his resignation from parliament.

The former prime minister Scott Morrison has issued a very lengthy statement on his Facebook page, following the new revelations that came from Anthony Albanese’s press conference earlier today.

Morrison had appeared on 2GB radio earlier this morning and failed to mention his appointments to the Ministry of Home Affairs and to Treasury which were later revealed by Albanese.

Morrison posted 20 minutes ago:

As an added administrative precaution, as a “belts and braces” approach, the Departments of Treasury and Home Affairs were added some time after in May 2021 … In hindsight these arrangements were unnecessary and until seeking advice from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet today, I had not recollected these arrangements having been put in place. There was a lot going on at the time.

Morrison also apologised to his colleagues through the post:

I have endeavoured to set out the context and reasoning for the decisions I took as prime minister in a highly unusual time. I did so in good faith, seeking to exercise my responsibilities as prime minister which exceeded those of any other member of the government, or parliament. For any offence to my colleagues I apologise. I led an outstanding team who did an excellent job and provided me great service and loyalty as ministers.

NSW premier Dominic Perrottet is speaking following the handing down of the Graeme Head Review into the appointment of John Barilaro to the $500,000-a-year trade commissioner role in New York.

He is announcing the changes that have come of the report, including:

• A minister cannot direct a secretary in the exercise of their employment function.

• Changes to ministerial code of conduct will see a minister be required to wait 18 months before taking on a role in the public sector.

• Senior public servants will also need to seek ethics advice in relation to future employment, which will be publicly published.

Michael McGowan

‘Rolled gold example’: Shoebridge on Morrison secret minister saga

More on the Greens’ response to the secret Morrison appointments following a public press conference earlier.

Greens senator David Shoebridge says his party will refer the secret minister saga to the federal parliament’s privileges committee, insisting the Department of Premier and Cabinet can’t run an investigation into something it advised former prime minister Scott Morrison on at the time.

While some ministers have said they were not aware Morrison had also been sworn in alongside them, Shoebridge said at a press conference on Tuesday that the privileges committee should also examine the role of the other ministers who were sharing their portfolios. He said:

We need to have not only former prime minister Scott Morrison answer questions, but of course those other ministers.

How could they stand up in parliament notionally answering questions about their portfolio, knowing at the same time that just behind them was some secret minister in the form of the prime minister who might veto their decisions?

While the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has avoided criticising the governor general, David Hurley, in his role in appointing Morrison to the five extra ministries, Shoebridge said it was “hard to understand” how he had agreed to the arrangement.

This wasn’t a tick-and-flick exercise by the governor general; this was a critical part of our constitutional makeup.

Shoebridge labelled the secret minister saga a “rolled gold example” of the need for a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption and called on Labor to introduce the body by the end of the year,

… and commit to it having a broad enough jurisdiction so it can look at this entire mess.

The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, earlier today revealed former prime minister Scott Morrison was appointed to the Department of the Treasury on May 6 2021.

The Australian is reporting that the former treasurer Josh Frydenberg was never informed by Morrison that the former prime minister had himself sworn in as treasurer, but does not name the source of this information.

Editor at large Paul Kelly reports:

Frydenberg, the Liberal deputy leader, had no knowledge of this. Nor was Mr Frydenberg informed that Mr Morrison had himself also sworn in as finance minister from March 2020.

These events are without precedent in national politics. That Mr Frydenberg was never told by Mr Morrison is baffling given the close ties between them.

Dutton has stressed that Morrison’s decisions were made in a “warlike situation” when cabinet ministers like himself were hospitalised with Covid-19.

At the start of this pandemic … leaders all over the world, it was a warlike situation and there is concern about what would happen … there was concern as to what would happen in … the cabinet at the time, and I was sent to hospital, and people were in ventilators, and people were dying at that stage and that’s the context in which the prime minister at the time, Mr Morrison, made some of those decisions.

As he explained this morning, I wasn’t aware … I wasn’t there for decision-making in that regard and I think he’s made statements this morning that you can reflect on.

Asked if he would act the same as Morrison, Dutton responded:

I’m not getting into hypotheticals … it’s very hard for anybody to speak beyond what is publicly known now. The prime minister has a process out and thus the appropriate thing to do and will wait back to him on that.

I am the opposition leader. The joy of that is I am not in government. The prime minister has announced the process and they are waiting on legal advice and they will get back next week and I would wait for the legal advice.

He would not respond to the question of whether the former treasurer Josh Frydenberg was aware.

We are also hearing Frydenberg was not aware of the secret ministerial appointments, according to reports in The Australian.

Dutton calls for ‘cooler heads to prevail’ as other Liberals call for Morrison to resign

Peter Dutton, the opposition leader, has taken to the microphone. While senior Liberals like Karen Andrews are calling for Morrison to resign following the revelations of his secret appointments, Dutton is defending the former prime minister.

He says it is “time for cooler heads to prevail” saying there are “bigger issues families in Australia are dealing with”.

He said it is best to wait for legal advice to come back.

He said he won’t call for Morrison to resign.

Karen Andrews has continued her calls for Scott Morrison to resign, following the current prime minister Anthony Albanese’s revelation the former PM secretly appointed himself to five portfolios.

She told the Sydney Morning Herald:

I did not know. When it was all unfolding over the last 24 hours I wondered if home affairs would come up for no reason other than he had launched himself into a range of portfolios. I had nothing from him, nothing from PMO, no knowledge.

It is absolutely time for him to resign from parliament. This is unacceptable.

Andrews to ask Morrison to resign

Karen Andrews, the former home affairs minister, told news.com.au she had “no idea” the former prime minister, Scott Morrison, had sworn himself into her portfolio.

Andrews was home affairs minister at the time Albanese says Morrison was sworn into that portfolio.

She said:

I am going to ask him to resign and leave Parliament.

I have nothing to say to him.

This is totally unacceptable, for a prime minister to behave in this manner undermines everything that a federal government constitutionally should stand for.

Dutton to speak soon

We are also expecting a press conference with opposition leader Peter Dutton very soon. I’ll bring you what he has to say once he steps up.

Paul Karp

Greens to push to refer Scott Morrison to privileges committee

The Greens are calling for Scott Morrison to be referred to the privileges committee to consider whether being appointed to ministries without telling parliament could amount to contempt or misleading parliament.

The party’s attorney general spokesperson, David Shoebridge, told Guardian Australia the creation of “secret ministries” is an “attack on parliamentary accountability”.

He said:

Parliament can’t hold a minister to account if we don’t know a ministry exists … In the Senate, Simon Birmingham would have been answering questions as the finance minister when it turns out there was also a secret finance minister. How can you hold them to account if you don’t know who they are?

Shoebridge also noted that currently only the department of the prime minister and cabinet is looking into the issue – the same department that would have advised Morrison on the arrangement. “This can’t be the only place we do this investigation,” he said.

Shoebridge confirmed the Greens are currently seeking advice on how to refer Morrison to the privileges committee. At a press conference at noon he will also reiterate calls for a national anticorruption body.

Benita Kolovos

Raise the age petition to be delivered to Victorian parliament

A petition signed by more than 65,000 Victorians to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 14 has been handed to crossbench MP Fiona Patten on the steps of parliament.

The petition is part of a national campaign to raise the age, which last year saw the attorneys general of all Australian states and territories agree to move toward raising the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12. That step has been criticised as too small by justice advocates, who say raising the age to 12 will have a minimal impact on youth imprisonment rates.

Across Australia, children as young as 10 can be arrested by police, remanded in custody, convicted by the courts and jailed. Indigenous children are disproportionately affected and make up the vast majority of imprisoned children.

Across the country, 211,670 people have signed the petition to raise the age.

Patten told reporters:

I’m just incredibly honoured to be the person that will deliver this petition to the Victorian attorney general … about raising the age of criminal responsibility in Victoria. We are out of step with the rest of the world.

We know that the earlier a child brushes up against the justice system, the more likely they are to continually brush against the justice system. We know that Aboriginal children are so overrepresented in our juvenile justice system [and] that this is going to affect them more than anyone else.

In all of the inquiries that I have done [I’ve found] disadvantage is at the core of this and this will go some way towards changing it.

Patten chairs a parliamentary committee which earlier this year recommended the Victorian government raise the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14.

She said it would help divert children into social services rather than “trapping” them in the criminal justice system from an early age.

The state’s attorney general, Jaclyn Symes, told reporters her priority is reducing youth offending:

There’s no point raising the age to 12, 13, 14 and just delaying the justice system’s response to that particular child. We’re dealing with really complex kids, kids that are many of them in our home care, many of them require services that we need to make sure are there as a safety net … I don’t want kids incarcerated and what I’m pleased to say that here in Victoria, right now, there are no children that are aged 11 or 12 in custody and that’s been the position for some time.