'His legacy will be their legacy': the Coalition ties itself to Morrison's secret ministries

The former Chief of Army David Morrison used it in 2013 as he denounced abusive tribal culture in the Defence Force.

And it was repeated on Wednesday morning by Labor minister Madeleine King, who had all those on the opposition benches in her sights.

Bar the single case of Liberal MP Bridget Archer crossing the floor, the Coalition, in opposing parliamentary censure of Scott Morrison, has just sent a clear message that what its former leader did with his secret portfolio power grab was OK.

The excuses were varied: trivial, unworthy, a stunt, payback, revenge.

Shadow Attorney-General Julian Leeser also charged that Mr Morrison had already received the "ultimate censure" in losing the May election.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, who was in on the secret resources portfolio grab as it was something the Nationals were not entitled to and did not want to give it up, argued what Scott Morrison did was "wrong, but not illegal".

"Wrong in the sense that I don't agree with it," he said, and then voted to back Mr Morrison.

That argument does not fly with the independents such as Monique Ryan.

"Is that really how low the bar is to be set by the Liberal and National parties?" she said to very few opposition MPs in the chamber.

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A defiant Member for Cook, himself, antagonised matters over 24 minutes by continuing to deflect responsibility and describing the powers as a dormant redundancy, "never exercised or even used to exercise influence over the relevant ministers".

"Mr Speaker I acknowledge that the non-disclosure of arrangements has caused unintentional effects and extended apology to those who were offended," he declared.

"I have no intention now of submitting to the political intimidation of this government."

So a footballer's apology and this concession:

"I now consider that these decisions in hindsight were unnecessary. They were unnecessary, and that insufficient consideration was given to these decisions at the time, including non-disclosure," he said.

Well yes, being completely unnecessary is what Justice Virginia Bell found. She also found his actions were "corrosive of trust, and thus confidence, in government".

There was also a new explanation: "Had I been asked about these matters at the time at the numerous press conferences that I held, I would have responded truthfully about the arrangements I had put in place."

It is the media's fault for not somehow twigging.

To be clear, moving a censure motion is very rare. And moving one against a former prime minister is historic.

There is no practical difference in passing it. It is effectively harsh words, but a collective condemnation nonetheless. A legacy killer. And Labor always had the numbers to pass it.

Labor argued Mr Morrison remaining in the house without censure would have been damaging to the standing and reputation of politics.

Yes, voters passed judgement on May 21, but they did not know about Mr Morrison's secret actions.

Mr Morrison will eventually leave Parliament and the unnecessary secret ministries and the parliamentary censure will be his legacy.

But now it is the Coalition's legacy as well.