WHAT WAS SAID DURING MORRISON CENSURE DEBATE
Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been censured by federal parliament following his role in secretly appointing himself to multiple ministries. The censure motion was debated in the lower house for most of Wednesday morning.
Scott Morrison:
* "I have no intention of now submitting to the political intimidation of this government using its numbers to impose its retribution on its political opponents."
* "Had I been asked about these matters at the time, I would have responded truthfully about the arrangements I had put in place."
* "It is strange to describe such actions as a power grab, as they were never exercised or even used to exercise influence over the relevant ministers. They were simply a dormant redundancy."
* "I acknowledge that the non-disclosure of arrangements has caused unintentional offence, and extend an apology to those offended, but do not apologise for taking action establish prudent redundancies in a national crisis in order to save lives and livelihoods."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese:
* "A censure motion like this is as rare as it is grave. The fact that it has become so necessary constitutes a profoundly sad moment in the life of our national parliament. But to ignore it would be to be complicit to say 'well, that was OK'."
* "The fact is that our democracy is precious. There's no room for complacency. We've seen overseas, including with the assault on the Capitol Building in the United States, that we can't take our democracy for granted."
Liberal MP Bridget Archer:
* "I've relentlessly advocated for more integrity in politics and fought for an integrity commission that would begin to restore the public's faith in elected officials. To sit quietly now would be hypocritical."
* "I do not accept any of the explanations put forward by the former prime minister for his actions. And I'm deeply disappointed by the lack of genuine apology, or more importantly, understanding of the impact of these decisions."
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus:
* "How on earth can there be any accountability in a government where even the treasurer doesn't know whether the prime minister has taken his job?"
* "One thing we do know for sure is that even today the member for Cook is not in the least bit sorry. Not to the Australian people, and most certainly not those who trusted him most, those opposite."
Former deputy prime minister Michael McCormack:
* "I want Scott Morrison's legacy to be the fact that he led this nation as best he could. He led this nation honestly. He led this nation extremely well."
Independent MP Helen Haines:
* "I support the motion. It gives me no joy to do so. I feel sadness and disappointment that we are moved to have to do this."
Greens leader Adam Bandt:
* "People want the politicians to start telling the truth. And this was not only a failure to tell the truth, it was one that came with a power grab added to it."
Independent MP Sophie Scamps:
* "This behaviour of the former prime minister was a deeply concerning lurch towards authoritarianism, by an individual who was addicted to executive power."
Australian Associated Press