How Aussie Ex-PM Scott Morrison Coasted From ‘I Don’t Hold a Hose’ to Portfolio ‘Multitasking’

Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, confirmed on Monday that his predecessor, Scott Morrison, would be facing a censure motion in parliament after an inquiry concluded that the ex-PM’s secret juggling of several ministerial portfolios between March 2020 and May 2021 was both “unnecessary” and undermined public trust in the government.

Scott Morrison’s “secret ministries” scandal took a new turn on Monday, with the current Australian prime minister revealing that his Liberal predecessor would be facing a censure motion in parliament for secretly “multitasking” and appointing himself to five key ministerial portfolios between March 2020 and May 2021.

Morrison’s move to set up a “shadow government” was slammed by Justice Virginia Bell’s inquiry as “bizarre,” “unnecessary,” and “corrosive of trust in government.” When news first broke that the politician had opted to appoint himself to the treasury, home affairs and industry, science, energy, and resources ministries, the issue raised eyebrows and was denounced as a “power grab,” although he had done nothing illegal.

In effect, Scott Morrison’s tenure came with a generous dose of scandals and policy failures. Here are just a few.

COVID-19

Scott Morrison's unfounded criticism of China amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic incensed Beijing, souring bilateral ties. Morrison called for an international probe into the origins of the COVID pandemic in 2020. Beijing followed by imposing higher tariffs on Australian exports, including trade barriers for barley, wine, seafood, and coal. The move to ban Huawei from its 5G network also negatively impacted the two countries' relations.

AUKUS Spat

In September 2021, Australia, the US, and the UK announced the trilateral AUKUS pact. At the same time, then-PM Scott Morrison also precipitately ditched a multi-billion French submarine deal, triggering a diplomatic face-off between the two countries. During the bitter rift between Australia and France, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Morrison of lying to him regarding the scrapped submarine contract, telling reporters at the time:

"I don't think - I know."

Furthermore, Australia's defense officials negotiating with France for the multi-billion-dollar submarine deal were "kept in the dark" until the day the AUKUS pact was announced, according to a leaked document penned by Kim Gillis. Involved in the original decision to choose the French bid for the conventional submarines, the ex-Australian defense official revealed that, "there was an alternative strategy being developed behind closed doors and outside the accepted contractual processes."

'Major Policy Failure'

Australia's PM Anthony Albanese has dubbed the Sino-Solomon Islands security pact a major “policy failure” on the part of Morrison during his tenure. Tensions ratcheted up between Canberra and its largest trading partner, Beijing, in the wake of the unveiling of the Sino-Solomon security framework agreement in April, with top Australian generals warning that a potential Chinese military presence in the Solomon Islands would impact the patrolling patterns of the Australian Defense Force (ADF).

Both China and the Solomon Islands have consistently denied that a Chinese military base is envisaged under the security agreement.

Fires & Floods

Australia suffered a protracted spate of deadly bushfires in 2019-20. But despite Morrison claiming to have been in constant contact with his Cabinet and fire authorities, the then-PM was torched for scooting off to luxuriate on a family trip to Hawaii.

"I don't hold a hose, mate, and I don't sit in a control room," the PM told reporters from the getaway at the time, adding that his family had "a few nice days here, and that's just where sometimes we go privately for our holidays."

"It's just unfortunate that it's come at such an awful time, particularly for those living in and around Sydney and New South Wales," he added.

When subsequently asked if he had lived to regret that remark, the then-PM said, “Certainly, that wasn’t a comment at the time that was helpful, of course."

To make matters worse, as flames continued to ravage parts of the country and over 30 bushfires were believed to be out of control, the politician was then spotted enjoying a refreshing swim at a Sydney beach.

Floods affecting the country similarly came back to bite the PM's ratings with the public. When the inundation ravaged large parts of Queensland and New South Wales in March 2021, the PM was accused of taking his time to declare a national emergency.