We knew Scott Morrison was a bulldozer - he admitted that himself in the dying days of the federal election campaign.
We knew Scott Morrison was secretive - remember the Hawaii holiday his office at first refused to confirm?
Now we know Scott Morrison bulldozed in secret.
Revelations that Morrison was not just the prime minister of Australia in the pandemic-plagued past few years - but also secretly held the health, finance and resources portfolios - have set off a political firestorm that will take more than a hose to extinguish.
Where on earth to start with all of this?
Let's start by attempting to defend the seemingly indefensible.
As the Governor-General's spokesman said on Monday, it wasn't uncommon for a minister to be handed oversight over other portfolios from time to time.
At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when anxiety and uncertainty was at its peak, you could mount an argument that it was appropriate for the prime minister to share the sweeping pandemic powers with his then health minister, Greg Hunt.
The decision to appoint himself finance minister alongside Mathias Cormann had less credence, but is still understandable. Perhaps.
What isn't understandable - what cannot be defended - is that these decisions were made and kept in secret.
For years.
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It wasn't just withheld from taxpayers (and voters), it was withheld from Scott Morrison's own colleagues.
What does it say about Scott Morrison the man, and what he thought of his colleagues, that he believed it necessary to ride roughshod over cabinet, seizing and centralising control in his office?
This brings us to Scott Morrison, the minister for resources we never knew we had.
The most alarming claim to emerge in the past 24 hours was that Morrison handed himself the resources portfolio so he could override the actual minister (Keith Pitt) and reject the Pep-11 offshore gas exploration permit, which had become a political problem for Sydney-based Liberals facing threats from teal independents.
As shocking, alarming, confusing and "unprecedented" as this still evolving episode is, ask yourself this question.
Are you surprised?
Bulldozing a colleague, in secret, to solve a short-term political problem.
Trashing convention, ignoring the rules, all for political gain.
This was quintessential Scott Morrison.
This will be his legacy.
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
Dan covers federal politics from Parliament House, with a special focus on climate policy and the NDIS. He has previously reported on ACT politics and urban affairs since joining the Canberra Times in 2018.
