Advice on the legal implications of Scott Morrison’s decision to secretly appoint himself to five ministries is set to be made public.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will release the solicitor-general’s advice on Tuesday, after he was briefed on the matter on Monday afternoon.
“There hasn’t been a suggestion of illegality, but there have been questions raised about how this could occur, how it fits in with the conventions,” Mr Albanese said.
Cabinet will discuss the advice before it is released.
Calls are growing for an inquiry into the former prime minister’s actions which saw him take on health, finance, treasury and home affairs – as well as the industry, science, energy and resources portfolio – between March 2020 and May 2021.
Mr Morrison intervened as co-resources minister, by blocking the PEP-11 gas exploration licence off the NSW coast after then resources minister Keith Pitt approved the project.
The final decision is now the subject of a Federal Court appeal.
Mr Morrison has maintained that was the only time he used his powers to interfere in the portfolios.
Nationals leader David Littleproud said the coalition would work with the Labor government to help rebuild trust with Australians following the revelations.
“We’re trusting the government to make whatever they can transparent,” he told the ABC.
“As a parliament I think there is bipartisan support to make sure that we put the safeguards around democratic institutions to protect them well into the future and protect the trust that we expect our community to have in them.”
Mr Littleproud said it was appropriate cabinet considered the advice, because it was that process which “should have been respected that Scott Morrison got wrong”.
A spokesman for Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General backed changing the system to a “more transparent process” so any appointments were made public.
The Greens have already asked House of Representatives Speaker Milton Dick to refer Mr Morrison to the powerful privileges committee over the scandal.
One of Mr Morrison’s former ministerial colleagues, Karen Andrews, has said he should resign his seat of Cook in the wake of his actions.
