Former Australian PM Morrison Accused of "Undermining Democracy"

Facts

• Australia's PM Anthony Albanese has accused his predecessor Scott Morrison of undermining the nation's democracy by quietly appointing himself minister of several offices during the COVID pandemic.
• News Corp Australia reported that Morrison secretly held positions in treasury, finance, health, home affairs, and resources from May 2020 to May 2021.
• The former PM, who remained a member of Parliament, now faces calls for his resignation.
• Morrison stepped down as leader of the Liberal Party after losing an election in May. He has been scrutinized by senior leaders of both the Liberal and the National Party who were reportedly unaware of his alleged misdeeds.
• Amid concerns of possible legal challenges, Albanese and the Liberal Party's new leader Peter Dutton have requested advice from the country's Solicitor-General in order to decide the next steps.
• In response to the accusations, Morrison said he regrets that his actions have caused such outrage but he believes that he "acted in good faith in a crisis."

Sources: NBC, Axios, Al Jazeera, and Reuters.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by RNZ. Although Morrison may have exercised poor judgment, he acted in good faith. And while his actions might have been inconsistent with constitutional convention, they were likely legal. The unconventional times during the pandemic demanded unconventional measures and he was under significant pressure to safeguard the government and the public.
• Narrative B, as provided by Standard. It's irrelevant whether Morrison acted in good faith or not; his behavior was deceitful, unacceptable, and undermined everything that democracy stands for. There's a reason Australia has a constitution and everyone within the government should be working to uphold it.