The shadow government scandal has shaken Australian politics

Revelations that Australia’s ex-prime minister was secretly invoking several ministerial posts during the pandemic sparked a political firestorm on Monday, with his successor promising a speedy investigation.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese accused Scott Morrison of “tin pot activity” after it emerged the former leader had appointed himself Minister for Health, Finance and Resources, among other things, without informing colleagues, Parliament or voters.

Describing Morrison’s actions as “extraordinary and unprecedented,” Albanese said Monday he had sought legal advice from the Attorney General and would be briefed later today.

“This is a kind of tin-pot activity that we would ridicule if it were in a non-democratic country,” Albanese said. “Scott Morrison ran a shadow government”

In some cases, Morrison made himself co-minister without informing the cabinet members he had already appointed to those positions.

The scandal has shed light on the opaque nature of decision-making within the Australian government – and raised questions about whether tighter democratic safeguards are needed.

It’s still not clear how many posts Morrison held, but local media reported that he took over the resource portfolio and used his power to scrap a major gas project off the Sydney coast.

Morrison’s conservative coalition lost power in the May election, ending nearly a decade of center-right rule in the country.

In Australia, elected politicians are chosen by the Prime Minister before being sworn in by the Governor-General in a formal ceremony that is usually publicly recorded.

Constitutional law expert Anne Twomey called the allegations “bizarre” and said they would legally challenge some of the former government’s decisions.

“The secrecy involved is just bizarre. I mean, you know, you just wonder what’s going on with these people when they have to do everything in secret,” she said.

“That’s just completely inappropriate. We live in a democracy that needs transparency.”