Monday, August 15, 2022

Partition: Why was British India divided 75 years ago?

GETTY IMAGES
Every evening since 1959, Indian and Pakistani troops have lowered their flags together at the Wagah border crossing

BBC 


When Britain granted India independence, 75 years ago, the territory it had ruled over was divided, or partitioned, into India and the new state of Pakistan (with East Pakistan later becoming Bangladesh).

This created an upsurge of violence, in which approximately 15 million people were displaced and an estimated one million died.

India and Pakistan have remained rivals ever since.

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Why was British India partitioned?

In 1946, Britain announced it would grant India independence.

No longer able to afford to administer the country, it wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

The last viceroy, Lord Mountbatten, set the date as 15 August 1947.

The population was about 25% Muslim, with the rest mostly Hindu but also Sikh, Buddhist and other religions.

GETTY IMAGES
Leading independence campaigners Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohandas Gandhi wanted an India that embraced all faiths

"The British used religion as a way of dividing people in India into categories," Prof Navtej Purewal, Indian fellow for the Arts and Humanities Research Council, says.

"For example, they created separate Muslim and Hindu lists of voters for local elections.

"There were seats reserved for Muslim politicians and seats reserved for Hindus.

"Religion became a factor in politics."

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Dr Gareth Price, at the UK-based Chatham House foreign-policy institute, says: "When it looked likely that India would get independence, many Muslim Indians became worried about living in a country ruled by a Hindu majority.

"They thought they would be overwhelmed.

"They started to support political leaders who campaigned for a separate Muslim homeland."

Congress Party independence-movement leaders Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru wanted a united India that embraced all faiths.

GETTY IMAGES
Muhammad Ali Jinnah disagreed strongly with Gandhi over independence.

But All-India Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah demanded partition as part of the independence settlement.

"It would have taken a long time to get agreement about how a united India would work," Dr Price says.

"Partition seemed to be a quick and simple solution."

HUW EVANS PICTURE AGENCY
It is thought 2,000 people died in the 1946 Calcutta Killings, when Hindus and Muslims fought in the streets

How much suffering was caused by partition?

British civil servant Sir Cyril Radcliffe drew up the borders between India and Pakistan, in 1947, dividing the sub-continent very roughly into:

  • a central and southern part, where Hindus formed the majority
  • two parts in the north-west and north-east that were mostly Muslim

But Hindu and Muslim communities were scattered throughout British India.

About 15 million people travelled, often hundreds of miles, to cross the new frontiers.

And many were driven out of their homes by communal violence, starting with the 1946 Calcutta Killings, in which an estimated 2,000 died.

"The Muslim League formed militias and so did right-wing Hindu groups," says Dr Eleanor Newbigin, senior lecturer in South Asian history at SOAS, University of London.

"Terror groups would chase people out of their villages, to get more control for their own side."

GETTY IMAGES
Sikh refugees in a relief camp in Amritsar, in 1947-48 - 12-20 million people were uprooted by partition

Between 200,000 and one million people are estimated to have been killed or died of disease in refugee camps.

Tens of thousands of women, both Hindu and Muslim, were raped, abducted or disfigured.

What were the consequences of partition?

Since partition, India and Pakistan have repeatedly fought over who controls the province of Kashmir.

They have fought two wars over it (in 1947-8 and 1965), clashed in the 1999 Kargil crisis and currently administer different parts of it.

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India also intervened to support East Pakistan in its war of independence against Pakistan, in 1971.

Less than 2% of Pakistan's population is now Hindu.

"Pakistan has become more and more Islamic," Dr Price says.

"That is partly because so many of its population are now Muslim and there are so few Hindus left there.

"And India is now coming more under the influence of Hindu nationalism."

GETTY IMAGES
Parts of Amritsar were reduced to rubble during riots in 1947 - Muslims wanted the city to be part of Pakistan but Hindus wanted it to remain in India

Dr Newbigin says: "The legacy of partition is distressing.

"It has created powerful religious majorities in both countries.

"The minorities have become smaller and more vulnerable than they were before."

Prof Purewal says: "It may have been possible in 1947 to have created a united India.

"It could have been a loose federation of states, including states where Muslims were the majority.

"But Gandhi and Nehru both insisted on having a unified state, controlled from the centre.

"They did not really consider how a Muslim minority might live within that kind of country."

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Iraq's Garden of Eden Now 'Like a Desert'

August 14, 2022 
Agence France-Presse
A man walks on cracked and dried up soil in the Hawiza marsh near the city of al-Amarah, in southern Iraq, July 27, 2022. The reputed home of the biblical Garden of Eden, Iraq's swamplands have been battered by three years of drought.

HUWAIZAH MARSHES, IRAQ —

To feed and cool his buffaloes, Hashem Gassed must cross 10 kilometers (6 miles) of sunburnt land in southern Iraq, where drought is devastating swathes of the mythical Mesopotamian Marshes.

The reputed home of the biblical Garden of Eden, Iraq's swamplands have been battered by three years of drought and low rainfall, as well as reduced water flows along rivers and tributaries originating in neighboring Turkey and Iran.

Vast expanses of the once lush Huwaizah Marshes, straddling the border with Iran, have been baked dry, their vegetation yellowing. Stretches of the Chibayish Marshes, which are popular with tourists, are suffering the same fate.

"The marshes are our livelihood — we used to fish here, and our livestock could graze and drink," said Gassed, 35, from a hamlet near Huwaizah.

Southern Iraq's marshlands were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2016, both for their biodiversity and their ancient history.

But now, beds of dry streams snake around the once verdant wetlands, and the area's Umm al-Naaz lake has been reduced to puddles of muddy water among largely dry ground.

Like his father before him, Gassed raises buffaloes, but only five of the family's around 30 animals are left.

The others died or were sold as the family struggles to make ends meet.

Family members watch carefully over those that remain, fearful that the weak, underfed beasts might fall in the mud and die.

"We have been protesting for more than two years and no one is listening," Gassed said. "We are at a loss where to go. Our lives are over."

Nestled between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the Mesopotamian Marshes suffered under the former dictator Saddam Hussein, who ordered that they be drained in 1991 as punishment for communities protecting insurgents, and to hunt them down.

The wetlands have sporadically gone through years of harsh drought in the past, before being revived by good rainy seasons.

But between August 2020 and this month, 46% of the swamplands of southern Iraq, including Huwaizah and Chibayish, suffered total surface water loss, according to Dutch peace-building organization PAX.

Another 41% of marsh areas suffered from reduced water levels and wetness, according to the organization, which used satellite data to make the assessment.

The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization in Iraq said the marshes were "one of the poorest regions in Iraq and one of the most affected by the climate change," warning of "unprecedented low water levels.”

It noted the "disastrous impact" on more than 6,000 families who "are losing their buffaloes, their unique living asset.”

Biodiversity is also at risk.

The swamplands provide a home for "numerous populations of threatened species" and are an important stopping point for around 200 species of migratory water birds, according to UNESCO.

Environmental activist Ahmed Saleh Neema said there were "no more fish," wild boar or even a subspecies of smooth-coated otter in the marshes.

He said the Huwaizah swamplands were irrigated by two tributaries of the Tigris River, which originates in Turkey, but that their flows had dropped.

Iraqi authorities are rationing supplies to cover different needs, he said.

"The government wants to preserve the largest quantity of water possible," he added, lamenting "unfair water sharing" and "poor (resource) management."

After pressure from protesters, authorities partially opened the valves, he said, but had closed them again.

On the Iranian side, the Huwaizah Marshes, called Hoor al-Azim, are also suffering.

"The wetland is facing water stress and currently about half of its Iranian part has dried up," Iran's state news agency IRNA reported recently.

Hatem Hamid, who heads the Iraqi government's water management center, said that "on the Iranian side, the main river that feeds the Huwaizah Marshes has been totally cut for more than a year.”

The water needs of Iraqi farms and marshlands are only half met, he acknowledged, as authorities are closely monitoring reserves and trying to cover a range of uses, with drinking water one of the "priorities.”

Iraqi officials point to canals and small streams that have been rehabilitated to feed into the marshes — and to where some families have relocated from dried-out areas.

But it is "impossible to compensate for the very high evaporation in the marshes" in temperatures that pass 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), he added.

In Chibayish, the effects of the drought are all too clear to Ali Jawad, who said dozens of families had left his hamlet.

"They migrated towards other regions, looking for areas where there is water," the 20-year-old said.

"Before, when we used to come to the marshes, there was greenery, water, inner peace," he added. "Now it's like a desert."

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Will Fighting at Zaporizhzhia End in Nuclear Catastrophe?

With neither side signaling a willingness to back down, the standoff at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant risks becoming one of the Ukraine War’s most dangerous flashpoints.


by Mark Episkopos
August 14, 2022 

Officials are racing to stave off what experts and watchdogs have characterized as the mounting threat of nuclear catastrophe at the Zaporizhzhia Power Plant.

The Zaporizhzhia Power Plant (NPP) in southeastern Ukraine was reportedly shelled again on Thursday, with Russia and Ukraine trading renewed accusations over the alleged attacks. “Five [hits] were recorded near the plant management’s office – right next to the welding site and the storage facility for radiation sources. The grass caught fire over a small area, but fortunately, no one was hurt,” the Ukrainian state-run company operating the plant, Energoatom, said.

Kyiv officials have accused Russian forces of firing rockets from positions near the plant under the calculated assumption that it would be too risky for Ukraine to return fire. “They [Russian forces] use it [the power plant] like a shield against the Ukrainian forces, because nobody from Ukraine is going to do something,” said Ukrainian energy executive Petro Kotin.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who previously said Russian forces are engaging in “nuclear terrorism,” demanded that Russia turn control of the plant over to Ukraine. “Only the complete withdrawal of Russians from the territory of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and the restoration of Ukraine’s full control over the situation around the plant will guarantee the restoration of nuclear safety for all of Europe,” he said. The Zaporizhzhia plant fell under Russian control in early March. The Ukrainian technicians there have continued to operate the plant at reduced capacity.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi said the reported attacks could bear catastrophic consequences if allowed to continue. “Any military action jeopardizing nuclear safety, nuclear security, must stop immediately,” Grossi said. “These military actions near to such a large nuclear facility could lead to very serious consequences.”

Grossi warned that it is vital to guarantee the availability of off-site power to the Zaporizhzhia facility. Experts said that continued shelling could critically damage the facility’s infrastructure and possibly trigger an explosion. “Reactors [need] to be constantly cooled by water passing through [them,]” physicist MV Ramana told Al Jazeera. “If that water stream is cut out, cut down, cut off in some fashion, then the reactor could lose cooling, the fuel will start melting. It will sort of create high pressure, and the thing can explode.”

The Kremlin, which blames Kyiv for what it describes as relentless Ukrainian attacks against the plant, said it welcomes an IAEA mission to gather information on the reported strikes. “The Russian military’s ongoing control over the Zaporozhye NPP is a key to nuclear security in the region, it’s obvious. The IAEA sees the need to send a mission to the Zaporozhye NPP and Russia is ready to provide full assistance, which has been made clear. However, Ukraine must stop its attacks on the nuclear facility,” Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky wrote on Telegram. The Russian side claims Ukraine is acting in bad faith, pointing to Kyiv’s alleged refusal to enter into a trilateral agreement with the IAEA.

Moscow officials have accused both Ukraine and the UN of obstructing the IAEA from conducting an investigation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP. “We were able to solve all the difficult issues related to organizing and conducting a visit of this kind. However, at the very last moment, the UN general secretariat turned on the red light, canceling the visit,” Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said on Thursday. Nebenzya’s Ukrainian counterpart Sergiy Kyslystsya has countered that Moscow is the one sabotaging a prospective IAEA visit with its “unjustified conditions,” reiterating Zelenskyy’s demanding for Russian forces to withdraw from the area.

The UN put forth a proposal on Thursday to turn the Zaporizhzhia NPP into a demilitarized zone. UN officials did immediately share details surrounding the plan, including how exactly the demilitarized zone will be demarcated and enforced. The White House has backed the proposal, adding that the demilitarized zone should be controlled by Ukraine. “Fighting near a nuclear plant is dangerous and irresponsible – and we continue to call on Russia to cease all military operations at or near Ukrainian nuclear facilities and return full control to Ukraine, and support Ukrainian calls for a demilitarized zone around the nuclear power plant,” said a State Department spokesperson.

Russia has rejected the demilitarization proposal, with Nebenzya arguing that it would create a potential security risk. “Demilitarizing the (nuclear) power station could leave it vulnerable to anyone willing to pay a visit. Nobody knows what these potential visitors would be after. We can’t rule out some sort of provocations or terrorist attacks against the power station – which we ought to safeguard,” he said.

The Institute of War assessed earlier this month that Russia is playing up the specter of a nuclear disaster in Zaporizhzhia “to degrade Western will to provide military support to a Ukrainian counteroffensive.” Meanwhile, Kyiv has capitalized on the Zaporizhzhia NPP conflict as part of its broader message that the international community has a vested interest in ensuring Ukraine’s victory. “This is a global interest, not just a Ukrainian need,” said Zelenskyy about returning the Zaporizhzhia plant to Ukrainian control.

With neither side signaling a willingness to back down, the standoff at the Zaporizhzhia NPP risks becoming one of the Ukraine War’s most dangerous flashpoints. “Regrettably, instead of de-escalation, over the past several days there have been reports of further deeply worrying incidents that could, if they continue, lead to disaster,” said UN chief Antonio Guterres.

Mark Episkopos is a national security reporter for the National Interest.

Image: Reuters.
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AUSTRALIA
White whale death at Mallacoota 'sad' sign of neglect of land and sea, First Nations people say   

ABC Eyre Peninsula / By Jodie Hamilton
Posted Thu 28 Jul 2022 
Dwayne Bannon-Harrison during a whale ceremony on Yuin Country.(Supplied: Jim Klapsogiannis)

The sighting of a white whale is something magical, but its significance is much deeper than just a photo opportunity for Australia's First Nations people.

When a white whale carcass washed up at Mallacoota on Victoria's east coast this month, the impact of the whale's death rippled across Indigenous coastal communities nationwide.

First Nation people from Western Australia, eastern Australia, and the Northern Territory have reached out to South Australian Mirning elder Bunna Lawrie who said the death of the white whale heralded a time of change and an opportunity to raise awareness about custodianship of the environment.

Mr Lawrie said the Mallacoota whale death heralded a time of change.

"Things have been neglected in our collective duties and responsibilities to the land and sea," he said.

"It is a sign of sadness in our connection with these magnificent beings.

"The whale is family and we have responsibilities to celebrate its life, to bring it to rest, and to take its spirit back to the right place."

Whales significant to First Nations people

Victorian environmental authorities have said the Mallacoota whale was not an albino whale and had patches of colour under barnacle shells on it.

Victoria's Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning have said their current plan was to leave the whale in situ to decompose naturally.

Steve Tribbeck, the Indigenous liaison and producer of the documentary Whale Dreamer featuring Bunna Lawrie, said a white whale did not have to be albino.

Mr Tribbeck said whales and particularly white whales were significant to First Nations people.

Mirning Elder Bunna Lawrie (left) with Whale Dreamer producer Steve Tribbeck. (Supplied)

The traditional people of the Great Australian Bight and Nullarbor area, Mirning, describe how a white whale called Jeedara was responsible for creating and shaping the land, sea and the Mirning people.

Southern right whales, Eubalaena australis, annually migrate to the head of the Bight to give birth and nurse their young each winter.

The whale centre at the Bight this week reported there were 96 whales and calves in the area, including two rare white calves.

White calves have also been sighted at Fowlers Bay and Sleaford Bay, near Port Lincoln this season.

Mr Tribbeck said it was important First Nations people were notified when a whale washed up so they could fulfil their cultural responsibilities to help the whale reach its resting place.

"Direct consultation and notification of local indigenous people [should take place] so they can play out the traditional roles and responsibilities with regard to a whale washing up," Mr Tribbeck said.

Returning to the land

Detail of a painting by Mirning elder Bunna Lawrie.
(Supplied: Detail of Bunna Lawrie painting)

Yuin Nation descendent Dwayne Bannon-Harrison said his grandfather taught him whale ceremonies and responsibilities, including learning from Bunna Lawrie at the Head of the Bight.

He said different nations had particular whale stories and the Yuin people believed the whale, as a warm-blooded animal, came from the land. It was an ancient healer and custodian of the old ways.


"The whale when it comes into the beach, beaches itself, is the whale giving, the laws of the sea country, back to land in order to keep that harmonious," Mr Bannon-Harrison said.

He said the Mallacoota area was a shared land of the Yuin and Gunai people and was a traditional trading place.

"That whale to come into that space is important for our people," he said.

Mr Bannon-Harrison and family members during a whale ceremony.
(Supplied: Jim Klapsogiannis)

Mr Bannon-Harrison said in the past, "there would be trade, and ceremony called and different mobs would come from different places in order to utilise that whale".

"The whale is a huge part of our responsibility culturally."

Song nurtures health

Mr Tribbeck said the presence of the whale at Mallacoota was an opportunity to value the Indigenous perspective.

"We're dealing with complex ecosystems and we think we know it all but we don't," he said.

"A big part that we don't understand is the role that Indigenous people play in the unseen realms.

"The stories that they tell, the songs that they sing, the dances that they dance and how that fosters health within ecosystems."

Yolngu Nations Assembly president and Gumach whale representative from North East Arnhem Land Johnny Gurmumgurrum said the whale passing was very sacred.

"It brings people together to sing the songs, just like when a person passes," Mr Gurmumgurrum said.

"These songs are very important to us and represent a deep part of the role we play as Indigenous people in our custodian responsibilities to the land and sea, and all life within."

Link to ancestors

An Indigenous elder says whales carry songs and knowledge of ancestors.
(Supplied: Marianne Stockham)

White whales were also deeply significant to First Nations people in the south-west of Western Australia.

Wayne Wonitji Webb, a Pibulmun-Wadandi elder and traditional custodian said whales carried songs and knowledge of ancestors.

"They are knowledge keepers who pass understanding from the ancestors onto other whales also," Mr Webb said.

"[They pass the] knowledge of the critical role they play in the ecosystem and sacred stories in traditional creation mythologies."

The Victorian government has been contacted about their protocols regarding contacting Indigenous people when a whale washes up.
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AUSTRALIA
Photographer captures 'oh wow' moment as whale breaches close to boat off Coffs Harbour
Carly Adams's stunning shot of the whale breaching off Coffs Harbour.
(Supplied: Carly Adams)

An amateur photographer says she is "stoked" after capturing a photo of a humpback whale breaching close to a boat in Coffs Harbour.

Key points:Photographer Carly Adams can't believe her luck, capturing a breaching whale close to a boat

She says it's the best shot she has ever taken

Experts say whales, especially younger ones, can breach multiple times

Carly Adams, 26, said she had never taken a photo like it in the eight years she had been taking photos of nature.

Ms Adams said she walked along the southern wall at Coffs Harbour each day, especially during the whale season.

"I was going down to see if I could get some shots of the whales and I was stoked when I got that," she said.

"I was like 'Oh wow, it's a shot and a half'. I didn't think I'd get that shot."

Ms Adams said she was tracking the whale with her camera just after 11am on Sunday before it suddenly breached four times.

"I just happened to get the shot and I was just so shocked about it," she said.

Carly Adams captured the whale breaching off the coast of Coffs Harbour.
(Supplied: Carly Adams)

"I managed to get a few other shots but that was definitely my great shot.

"It just came out of the blue and I thought the people [on the boat] would have had a massive shock."

Ms Adams couldn't say how far the whale was from the boat because she was using a long lens zoom.

"It made it look like it was really close to the boat but it mightn't have been as close. It definitely looked like it was close."

NSW far south coast whale watching season with sighting of white calf

The whale watching season on the NSW far south coast is underway early with tours booked off the coasts of Bermagui, Merimbula and Eden.



Ms Adams was surprised by the interest after she posted it on social media.

"It's definitely gone viral, people were sharing it and I'm getting interviews, it's going a bit crazy," she said.

"I don't know if it's just because of the angle or what, but it made the whale look ten times bigger than the boat."

Breaching multiple times

Jools Farrell, vice-president of the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia, said the best thing to do if a whale breached near a vessel was to stay put.

"Whales breach when they want to breach and they don't really know that there's a vessel very close to them or near them," she said.

She said sometimes whales, especially younger ones, could breach multiple times.

"I've seen an adult whale breach three to four times within minutes," she said.

"You just don't know. It's just part of whale behaviour and the whale season."

Ms Farrell said she had also seen footage of whales that had breached and landed on boats, but hadn't heard of any fatalities from such incidents.
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AUSTRALIA
PREPARING FOR A COVID DICTATORSHIP
Scott Morrison's secret portfolios a 'sinister' move, former PM Malcolm Turnbull says
By James Elton

Malcolm Turnbull says Scott Morrison's secret appointment to multiple portfolios was "sinister stuff".(Sarah Ferguson)

Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull says he is "astonished" the Governor-General was willing to go along with Scott Morrison's secretive appointment to multiple portfolios within his own cabinet.

Key points:Malcolm Turnbull says news of Scott Morrison's secret portfolios "is one of the most appalling things I have ever heard in our federal government"

Mr Turnbull says he regrets describing the Indigenous Voice to parliament as a "third chamber"

He says he now supports an Indigenous Voice to parliament enshrined in the constitution

Mr Turnbull blasted his successor and former treasurer for taking on the ministerial roles — including in health, finance and resources — without telling the public or, in some cases, the existing ministers.

"This is sinister stuff. This is secret government," he told 7.30.

"This is one of the most appalling things I have ever heard in our federal government. I mean, the idea that a Prime Minister would be sworn in to other ministries secretly is incredible."

Mr Turnbull said he was "astonished" that the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet had "gone along" with the appointments, which have now come to light through media reports sourced from court documents.

But he said he was even "more astonished" that the Governor-General, David Hurley, was involved.

Mr Morrison's secret ministries were completely different to more routine arrangements where ministers act in different roles while a colleague is unwell or on leave, according to Mr Turnbull, because those arrangements were made public.

Mr Turnbull says the idea that a prime minister "would be sworn in to other ministries secretly is incredible".(AAP Images/Lukas Coch)

"We, the people, are entitled to know who is governing our country. We need to know who is the minister for this, who is the minister for that. If, in fact, these things are all being done secretly, that's not a democracy."

In a statement this afternoon, a spokesperson for the Governor-General said Mr Morrison was appointed to his extra portfolios under "normal process", consistent with the constitution.

"Questions around appointments of this nature are a matter for the government of the day and the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet," the statement read.

"Similarly, the decision whether to publicise appointments to administer additional portfolios is a matter for the government of the day."

7.30 asked the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet if it had prepared papers or a briefing about the appointments for the Executive Council, which is the body that advises the Governor-General.

The department did not directly respond, instead simply confirming Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had asked it to "provide advice on this matter".

Turnbull supports Voice, regrets 'third chamber' characterisation

The former Liberal prime minister Mr Turnbull has also thrown his weight behind the upcoming 'yes' campaign for a referendum to create an Indigenous body to advise the parliament, enshrined in the constitution.

Mr Turnbull said he regretted describing the proposal as a "third chamber" of parliament while he was prime minister.

"I do regret using that term, because it was misunderstood," Mr Turnbull said.

"I never intended to convey the idea that it would be a third chamber like the Senate is a second chamber."

Mr Turnbull said he still had "reservations" about the model, and stressed that it would be a "big change" to power dynamics in Indigenous affairs, not mere symbolism.

"I believe our parliamentary democracy can handle it," he said.

He said a 'yes' campaign would have been doomed while he was leader, but the momentum behind the idea now meant it was a "winnable" proposition.

"I say that with great trepidation. There's a lot of work to be done," he said.

Related Stories

'I know as much as you do': Dutton says he didn't know Morrison appointed himself to cabinet roles


Morrison's multiplying minister trick puts the 'I' in team

What we know about Scott Morrison secretly appointing himself to three ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic
Former prime minister Scott Morrison appointed himself to three additional portfolios during the COVID-19 pandemic.(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has ordered an investigation into news his predecessor Scott Morrison was secretly sworn in as the joint minister for three portfolios during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking in Melbourne on Monday morning, Mr Albanese said the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet was seeking legal advice from the solicitor-general.

Mr Morrison has told Sky News that he has not seen what Mr Albanese said, and "since leaving the job I haven't engaged in any day-to-day politics".

Here's what you need to know.
What's the story?

Put simply, former prime minister Scott Morrison appointed himself as the joint minister for health, finance and resources, but not all ministers — nor the Australian public — were told he had done so.

Prime Minister to investigate Scott Morrison's reported secret ministry-grab

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will investigate claims the former prime minister, Scott Morrison, swore himself into several ministries during the height of the pandemic.



The story originated from a report in The Australian newspaper over the weekend about Mr Morrison taking on responsibility of the health portfolio.

The ABC understands then-health minister Greg Hunt agreed to the joint position as a safeguard, should he become incapacitated from COVID-19.

But then-finance minister Matthias Cormann was not told Mr Morrison had also appointed himself to share that role.

Nationals MP Keith Pitt, who was the resources minister in the Morrison government, has told the ABC that he "certainly made inquiries" about the appointment, but ultimately accepted Mr Morrison's decision.

Mr Pitt has also told the ABC that Mr Morrison used his position as joint resources minister to block a controversial petroleum exploration licence.
Keith Pitt says he was concerned when he learnt of the self-appointment.
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

What has the reaction been?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has labelled the reports as "extraordinary" and "completely unacceptable".

"The people of Australia were kept in the dark as to what the ministerial arrangements were, it's completely unacceptable," he said.

"This is very contrary to our Westminster system. It was cynical and it was just weird that this has occurred."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the allegations are "completely unacceptable".(ABC News: Toby Hunt)

Nationals leader David Littleproud, who was the Morrison government's agriculture minister, told ABC Radio that he was unaware of Mr Morrison's self-appointments.

"That's pretty ordinary, as far as I'm concerned," Mr Littleproud said.

"If you have a cabinet government, you trust your cabinet."

Mr Littleproud said he also believed then-Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce was also unaware of the decisions.

"These are decisions of Scott Morrison. I don't agree with them, and I'm prepared to say that openly and honestly," he said.

David Littleproud says he was unaware of Mr Morrison's self-appointments.
(ABC News: Matt Roberts)

Keith Pitt said while he thought the move was "unusual", he wouldn't throw Mr Morrison "under a bus".

"It was clearly something I was concerned about, as you would expect," he said.

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten described it as a "bizarre decision" by the former prime minister.

"Honestly I've never heard of this, in World War II I'm not aware John Curtin swore himself in as defence minister … I don't know what was going through [Mr Morrison's] head," Mr Shorten said.

"If he felt the need to do it, why not tell people? Why be secretive?"

Former health minister Greg Hunt reportedly agreed to the shared position.
(ABC News: Nick Haggarty)


Is this allowed?

According to the Governor-General, yes.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, David Hurley confirmed he had secretly signed instruments that allowed Mr Morrison to administer other portfolios.

He said his actions were "consistent with section 64 of the constitution", which states that the Governor-General may appoint members of parliament to ministries.

He also said it was not uncommon for ministers to be appointed to "administer other departments other than their portfolio responsibility", and Mr Morrison was not required to go through the formal swearing-in ceremony.

"The Governor-General signs an administrative instrument on the advice of the prime minister," he said.

"The decision whether to publicise appointments to administer additional portfolios is a matter for the government of the day."

Scott Morrison picked David Hurley as Governor-General in 2018.
(ABC News: Matt Doran)

But speaking to the ABC, constitutional law expert Anne Twomey said the decision was inexplicable because there were already provisions in place for other ministers to take over portfolios if a minister became incapacitated.

"What on earth was going on, I don't know, but the secrecy involved in this is just bizarre," she said.

"You just wonder what's wrong with these people that they have to do everything in secret."

What happens next?

Mr Albanese has confirmed he has asked the secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet to seek advice about the matter — including from the solicitor-general, Stephen Donaghue.

Morrison's central command

There's a school of thought that suggests Scott Morrison had no need for a cabinet room, let alone ministers to sit at the table alongside him, writes political correspondent Brett Worthington.


"We will be seeking advice from appropriate people including the solicitor-general about all of these issues," he said.

Mr Albanese said he would be getting a full briefing on Monday afternoon, which he said would inform his next decision.

"This is dripping out like a tap that needs a washer fixed and what we need is actually to get the full flow of all the information out there and then we'll make a decision about a way forward here," he said.

It's unclear what it means for Scott Morrison in the interim, but he told Sky News he had not seen what Mr Albanese said, and "since leaving the job I haven't engaged in any day-to-day politics".

The ABC has contacted Mr Morrison for comment.
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Australia is in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis but we're not the only ones. Here’s what inflation looks like around the world

Australian inflation has hit a 21-year high of 6.1 per cent - and the rest 
of the world is hurting as well.
(Pixabay/Tumisu)


Aussies are well aware that the cost of living is increasing. Prices of food, gas, petrol and rent have skyrocketed thanks to the inflation rate rising to 6.1 per cent in June – a 21-year high.

While the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported a 2.4 per cent rise in annual wage growth for the March quarter, this has not been enough to compete with the soaring cost of living, leaving people around the country struggling.

But we're not the only ones.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is a international organisation that includes 38 countries such as Australia, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.

International events such as supply chain interruptions, COVID-19 implications and the war in Ukraine saw inflation in OECD countries rise to 9.6 per cent in May compared to 9.2 per cent in April. This represents the sharpest price increase since 1988.


Here's a crash course in inflation and what it looks like around the world.

What is inflation and what causes it?

Inflation measures how much more expensive a set of goods and services has become over a certain period of time.

The most well-known indicator of this is the Consumer Price Index (CPI).

The CPI measures the percentage change in the price of a basket of goods and services consumed by households.

Temporary changes in inflation may be caused by events like supply disruptions or seasonal sales, according to the RBA.

More persistent changes in inflation generally arise when people and businesses change their expectations about future price moves, and thus start demanding higher wages or passing on cost increases to their customers to compensate for them.

In the worst case, these expectations of rising prices can cause inflation to spiral out of control.

United States of America

Inflation rate: 8.5 per cent

Price of fuel: $1.52/litre (AUD)

Average house price: $492,433 (AUD)

It has not been a great year for inflation in the United States, according to the Department of Labour.

The US CPI has been rising throughout 2022, arriving at a 40-year high of 9.1 per cent in June.

Not the only bad news in June, inflation-adjusted incomes based on average hourly earnings fell 1 per cent, down a full 3.6 per cent in comparison to the previous year.

July's inflation update gave Americans a small amount of hope to grasp onto, with the inflation rate lowering to 8.5 per cent.
New Zealand

Inflation rate: 7.3 per cent

Price of fuel: $2.72/litre (AUD)

Average house price: $895,088 (AUD)

Akin to Australia, New Zealand has been weighted under rising costs increasingly during 2022 according to Stats NZ, New Zealand's official data agency.


As of June inflation as rising to 7.3 per cent, which the agency say is largely driven by rising prices for housing construction and rentals for housing.

Prices for the construction of new dwellings increased 18 per cent in the June 2022 quarter compared with the June 2021 quarter.

"Supply-chain issues, labour costs, and higher demand have continued to push up the cost of building a new house," Stats NZ general manager Jason Attewell said.

"The 18 per cent annual increase in the June quarter follows an 18 per cent increase in March and a 16 per cent increase in December 2021."

An August report from the agency also noted that the food prices had increased 7.4 per cent in July 2022 when compared to July 2021.
United Kingdom

Inflation rate: 9.4 per cent

Price of fuel: $3.03/litre (AUD)

Average house price: $505,739 (AUD)

According to the UK's Office for National Statistics, June's Consumer Price Index figure of 9.4 per cent was the highest annual CPI inflation rate since 1997.


One of the biggest contributors to the June quarter increase was the soaring price of motor fuels and electricity.

Compared to June 2021, there was a 42.3 per cent rise in the price of motor fuel with average petrol prices breaking $3 (AUD) a litre. This is the highest price on record since 1990.

The cost of food also had an impact on the CPI rise with food and non-alcoholic beverage prices rising by 9.8 per cent in the year to June 2022 – the highest rate ever since March 2008.

The largest upward effect came from milk, cheese and eggs.
Canada

Inflation rate: 8.1 per cent

Price of fuel: $1.84/litre (AUD)

Average house price: $736,204 (AUD)

In June, Canada experienced that largest yearly change to CPI since 1983, reaching 8.1 per cent year over year according to Statistics Canada.


Like with other parts of the world, the price of petrol remained one of the sore spots for price rises. On a year-over-year basis, Canadians were paying 54.6 per cent more for petrol in June.

On a monthly basis, demand for passenger vehicles remains high with the price for new cars increasing 1.6 per cent and used cars by 1.3 per cent in June.

Prices for service like rent also rose 5.2 per cent year over year in June.
Germany

Inflation rate: 7.5 per cent

Price of fuel: $2.46/litre (AUD)

Average house price: $296,447 - $566,771 (AUD)

Since May this year the German CPI has been steadily dropping month by month, settling in at 7.5 per cent, according to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany.

However, this remains higher than normal due.

"The main reason for the high inflation still is price rises for energy products," said President of the Federal Statistical Office Dr Georg Thiel.

Dr Thiel points to two energy relief measures introduced by the German government as having a slight downward effect on inflation – fuel discounts and the introduction of a nine-euro monthly train travel pass.
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