PM could launch inquiry into secret ministries

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government could consider an inquiry into former Prime Minister Scott Morrison being secretly sworn into key ministries during the coronavirus pandemic.
Morrison, who stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after losing a general election in May, was secretly sworn in to five key ministries during the pandemic, which represented an unprecedented assumption of powers, it emerged this week.
The action has drawn criticism from the Labor government and Morrison’s own party, but the former prime minister has defended the moves on the basis that he felt responsibility for the nation in the pandemic was his alone.
On Sunday, Albanese said the government would receive advice on Monday from the Solicitor General, the country’s second highest law officer, on the legality of Morrison’s actions.