Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces an official inquiry into his predecessor Scott Morrison’s secret swearing of himself into various ministerial positions during his second ministry.
Anthony Albanese released advice from the solicitor general, Stephen Donaghue, that found former PM Scott Morrison’s secret additional ministry appointments were legal but “fundamentally undermined” responsible government. He urged Morrison to apologise to the Australian people. Albanese also said he had asked his department to close the disclosure loophole, and that cabinet had approved an inquiry to consider the “implications” of Morrison’s actions. Morrison, meanwhile, said he did not “misuse” the powers he conferred upon himself, and that he had “reflected” on the issue over the past week, and that he “took the decisions I did as prime minister with the best of intentions”. He did not apologise.