Opinion: Will Scott Morrison even care when he is censured? | mrseankelly
The irony is sharp. We don’t know precisely the wording of a censure motion, but the reasons for it are already clear enough. The essence, easily lost among discussions of so many ministries, is simple: the most powerful person in the land made himself even more powerful and kept it secret. The cabinet did not know, voters did not know, and the parliament – which represents voters – did not know. He was quite literally unaccountable.
But one senses, in Albanese’s dogged attacks on Morrison’s multiple ministries, a more personal feeling as well. An important fact always to keep in mind about Albanese is that – a former Leader of the House – he sees himself as a parliamentarian, someone who understands and values the rules of parliament more than almost anyone else.
Morrison has a habit of denying having said things he has unquestionably said. When the Audit Office unearthed the sports rorts debacle, its funding was cut. Important inquiries were curtailed, kept secret, or run by his former chief of staff . As prime minister, his approach to parliament was sloppy at best – he managed to mislead the House twice, correcting himself afterwards, and on two other occasions gave answers to the House that some argued were also misleading.
The Liberals, who look set to vote against the censure, will hope Albanese looks unnecessarily punitive, malicious in pursuit of a wounded opponent. In fact, Albanese’s call to go forward with the censure was the only logical response to the report into the affair, handed down on Friday. The former High Court judge Virginia Bell agreed with the solicitor-general that Morrison “fundamentally undermined” the principles of responsible government.
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