Internal criticism of former prime minister Scott Morrison is intensifying as the secret ministries scandal flares tensions between the two Coalition partners.
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And Mr Morrison is a step closer to facing a powerful parliamentary inquiry, as questions continue over the governor-general's role in covertly appointing him.
The imbroglio dragged into its fifth day after revelations Mr Morrison secretly gave himself control over five portfolios, with the Nationals leader David Littleproud and Senate leader Bridget McKenzie accusing the former prime minister of breaching the Coalition agreement.
But in turn, a Liberal vanquished by a climate-focused teal at the May election has accused the junior coalition partner of costing his party 15 to 20 seats.
The word-of-words comes as the former Nationals leader Barnaby Joyce said the junior coalition partner would have been put between a "a rock and a hard place" had Mr Morrison's secret ministries gone public while he was in power.
Asked by The Canberra Times if Mr Morrison had breached the agreement, Mr Littleproud said: "Well, yes".
"But more importantly he breached his agreement with the Australian people, that's the most important agreement."
The Coalition agreement has always been secret, meaning it's impossible to verify if and how Mr Morrison's actions constituted a breach.
Mr Littleproud, who said Mr Morrison's resignation was a matter for him, suggested Mr Morrison had undermined the central premise of the power-sharing deal by not consulting the Nationals on the appointments.
"That's the premise of the agreement, not unilateral decisions by one party over the other," he said.
Nationals members remain particularly angry at revelations Mr Morrison secretly appointed himself to the resources portfolio so he could kill off an offshore gas exploration permit which stretched from Sydney to Newcastle.
'Where was the respect?'
But former Liberal MP Jason Falinski, who lost his seat to a teal independent, accused the Nationals of treating the Coalition as a "one-way street".
Liberals, including Mr Falinski, had been pushing for then-Nationals resources minister Keith Pitt to reject the permit.
"[We] lost 15-20 seats because of how we got painted [on climate policy]," he told The Canberra Times.
"Where was the respect from our communities from the Nationals?"
A senior Liberal source has told The Canberra Times that had this come out at the time the Liberal party would have sought to remove Mr Morrison from the top job.
Mr Pitt was returned to the frontbench after Mr Joyce retook the Nationals leadership, securing an extra portfolio for the party in the process.
Mr Joyce said the junior Coalition partner would have been between "a rock and a hard place" had Mr Morrison's secret ministries gone public while he was in power.
"Do you want to go to war on this and not get a minister, or keep more numbers than you're entitled to in cabinet and go on to fight another day? That's what I'd be saying," he said.
"He would have said: 'You're not entitled to [another] Nationals minister' and taken it back."
Mr Joyce was not aware of Mr Morrison's covert powers until the former prime minister overrode Mr Pitt on the gas exploration project.
He insisted the value of the extra portfolio was not undermined by the fact Mr Morrison had the power to override Mr Pitt's decisions.
'Hold him accountable'
As flagged on Wednesday, Greens leader Adam Bandt has moved towards having Mr Morrison referred to the powerful parliamentary privileges committee.
Mr Bandt wrote to Speaker Milton Dick on Thursday, asking he urgently consider referring the former prime minister over potential contempt of parliament.
"Scott Morrison has potentially misled Parliament and I want him held accountable," he said.
Sources with knowledge of the highly-secretive committee's workings believe there is a "fair case to be made" that the former prime minister misled parliament.
They say there would be a "reasonable expectation" that Mr Morrison would be found in contempt of the parliament, and be forced to apologise.
The committee, which operates in secret, would offer the former prime minister the chance to defend himself against any allegations.
Hurley question swirl
Governor-General David Hurley on Wednesday evening released a pointed statement, saying he had "no reason to believe that appointments would not be communicated" to the public.
But law expert at the University of New South Wales Rosalind Dixon said governors-general were "not robots and ... not a rubber stamp", and part of long-standing convention was their ability to advise, counsel, and warn.
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Professor Dixon said if General Hurley was aware the appointments were overlapping but did not seek clarification on how the arrangement would work, he "has to think about whether he can continue".
"He had to say: Is this an overlapping commission? If so, I'm not sure I can grant [it]," she said.
She said the governor-general could have rejected the appointments without an explanation, and even demanded the other minister be present as Mr Morrison justified his move.
Former prime minister John Howard said he did not blame the governor-general for the statement, labelling attempts to implicate him in a scandal as "a bit rough".
Mr Howard conceded he could "not really imagine" needing to swear-himself into multiple portfolios, but said calls for Mr Morrison to leave parliament were "crazy".