Australian Parliament censures former Prime Minister

Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison has listed his achievements in government including standing up to a “bullying" China as he unsuccessfully argued against being censured by the Parliament for secretly amassing multiple ministerial powers

Australia’s former Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday listed his achievements in government including standing up to a “bullying“ China as he unsuccessfully argued against being censured by the Parliament for secretly amassing multiple ministerial powers.

The center-left Labor Party government introduced to the House of Representatives a rare censure motion against Mr. Morrison, who as a conservative Prime Minister took the unprecedented steps of appointing himself to five ministerial roles between March 2020 and May 2021, usually without the knowledge of the existing minister.

The House passed the motion 86 to 50. It was sure to pass because Labor holds a majority in the House, while most opposition lawmakers dismissed it as “political payback.” Mr. Morrison is the first former Prime Minister to be censured.

A censure motion against Mr. Morrison, who remains an opposition lawmaker, has no effect other than to tarnish his political legacy.

Mr. Morrison publicly commented on the controversy Wednesday— the first time since his power grab was exposed in August through interviews, he had given to two journalists about his responses in government to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, he has released two written statements through lawyers.

Mr. Morrison said he gave himself additional ministerial powers at a time when Australia was “dealing with extreme uncertainty and unpredictability.”

The criticisms had been “made from the safety and relative calm of hindsight,” he said.