On the facts available at the moment over his secret ministries, Scott Morrison has been dishonest and no team player.
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A cockamamie command and control venture with added constitutional confusion.
The Solicitor-General is still looking into Mr Morrison taking on five additional portfolios between 2020 and 2021 and will report back to the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday. And there is added interest over the Governor-General's role in all this.
But be in no doubt, Mr Morrison's actions have enraged and bewildered Liberals and Nationals, particularly those then cabinet ministers affected.
Had this come out late last year, The Canberra Times understands there would have been serious moves to remove him from the top job.
The opposition leader Peter Dutton states his former leader has done the wrong thing, and there is no logic to it, but he is not currently backing the call to tap him on the shoulder.
He was just as in the dark as everyone - apart from certain people in the Prime Minister's office, a few in the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Greg Hunt, Christian Porter, the Governor-General, Keith Pitt at the last minute and two News Corp journalists.
Hasn't the Liberal party had enough?
What is it then?
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It is not about any grace to the former prime minister. It is beyond that now.
Nobody wants to set a precedent, he is a backbencher now and it was not illegal, as far as we know.
But a huge issue is the Liberals can't afford to lose his seat of Cook.
The Liberals lost 18 seats at the election drubbing. To say goodbye to the Shire in a by-election would be beyond careless.
Mr Morrison had an eight per cent swing against him on May 21 with the votes flowing to a variety of competitors not just to Labor's Simon Earle. The Greens and the United Australia candidate both had swings of more than three per cent.
Despite the toxicity associated with Mr Morrison, Cook is still a safe seat (12.4 per cent).
It would still be a dicey move to run in a by-election without the former prime minister's name brand. Labor still has a reasonably rosy honeymoon glow and the independents would love to expand the crossbench - one step closer to the balance of power.
Simon Holmes a Court has already promised that Climate 200 would "throw petrol on the fire" in a bid to install a climate-focused independent in Cook.
An independent who ran in neighbouring Hughes, Georgia Steele, is interested and engaged.
"We need to win the seat," a senior Liberal told The Canberra Times. It echoed the sentiment from a testy John Howard earlier in the week on 730.
More stasis. Liberals are angry but not angry enough. In the meantime, Mr Morrison is still headed to return to parliament next month.
Sitting in the House chamber is something the former prime minister is "going to hate", according to those who know him but that, at the moment, is his job and choice.
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Karen Barlow
Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au
Karen Barlow is ACM's Chief Political Correspondent. Working in the federal press gallery, she investigates and writes about federal politics and government. She has an interest in integrity, leadership and social equity. She has covered two Olympics and been to Antarctica twice. Contact her on karen.barlow@canberratimes.com.au
