Fresh questions are emerging about Scott Morrison’s secret ministerial grab after it was revealed former deputy PM Michael McCormack knew about one of the appointments.

On the ABC’s Q+A on Thursday night, former resources minister Keith Pitt confirmed Mr McCormack was aware of Mr Morrison swearing himself into the portfolio in 2021.

Mr Pitt said the then Nationals leader was told “somewhere in 2021” but he could not recall under the circumstance under which the information was relayed.

Host Stan Grant asked Mr Pitt: “You told Michael McCormack, ‘Hey, Scott Morrison has now sworn himself in to my portfolio as effectively co-minister’, you told Michael McCormack, the leader of your party, then-deputy prime minister, that explicitly?”

To which Mr Pitt, the member for Hinker in Queensland, said: “It may have occurred in a meeting that Michael was at with all of us, including the PM and his representatives, or it may have been a separate discussion. I’m working my way through what is a very complex diary.

“We had a discussion, Michael was aware, but my recollection was that he may well have been in the room when we had a previous discussion with the PM.”

The news is the latest in the unfolding scandal of Mr Morrison swearing himself into the ministries of health, finance, industry, home affairs and treasury between March 2020 and May 2021.

Mr Morrison has said he kept the roles confidential so as not to “undermine the confidence of ministers in the performance of their duties”.

Labor’s new Minister for Emergency Management and Agriculture, Murray Watt, who was also on Q+A, said it was an “extraordinary revelation” that “the deputy prime minister of the country was in on this as well”. He called for Mr Morrison to resign.

This week, federal parliament was rocked by revelations of Scott Morrison secretly appointing himself to multiple ministries. How will the current government prevent this happening again? #QandA pic.twitter.com/DUVvgxSCyQ

— QandA (@QandA) August 18, 2022

But Mr Morrison has shrugged off calls to leave parliament. On Thursday night, he took to Facebook to make light of the scandal, posting a meme he had created alongside a “feeling amused” emoji.

It featured his own face edited onto a picture of Australian comedy group Sooshi Mango, in a poke at himself taking over other people’s jobs.

“It’s been fun joining in on all the memes,” Mr Morrison wrote.

“But there are so many now I can’t keep up. As Aussies we can always have a chuckle at ourselves. Have a good evening.

“This was my own effort with the Sooshi Mango boys. Glad to be also joining their team, along with all the other gigs you guys have given me today.”

Scott Morrison posted this meme of himself taking on a job with comedy troupe Sooshi Mango.

The Sooshi Mango Facebook page responded, “you can appoint yourself as a member of Sooshi Mango as long as we can appoint ourselves as minister of the Australian Taxation Office”.

Later in the comments Mr Morrison posted another meme of himself as coach of rugby league the Cronulla Sharks.

“Don’t mind this one either. But that job is definitely filled and Fitzy is doing an awesome job. UpUpCronulla,” he wrote.

Scott Morrison’s Cronulla meme. Photo: Facebook

The post drew hundreds of comments, many venting fury at Mr Morrison’s failure to seriously reflect on his behaviour.

One from Deb Mastello tagged Mr Morrison and fumed: “Clearly you have no clue. This is pathetic and shows your clear disregard and disrespect for the Australian people. This is not funny.”

James Jansson wrote: “You think the running of this country is a joke. Have some humility and say you made a mistake. We don’t need US-style gloating about how badly you behaved in office.”

However, Mr Morrison had some support, with Charmaine Brillanti congratulating him for having a laugh.

“Isn’t it nice to actually see a bit of our wonderful Aussie humour around? Been missing far too long,” she posted.

Trudi Fryer posted that the furore was a “storm in a teacup”.

On Friday morning, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese chastised Mr Morrison for his flippancy.

“This undermining of the parliamentary system of government, of the whole Westminster system and our democratic traditions of accountability, are something that aren’t a laughing matter,” he told the ABC.

“I’m surprised at the response of Mr Morrison to this. But, then again, I frankly was shocked by the revelations.”

“I’m also somewhat surprised that there’s been no concept that there’s a need to say to the Australian people that the wrong thing was done.”

Secret ministries fallout

Meanwhile, Mr Morrison could face questions from parliament’s powerful privileges committee over the secret appointments.

Greens leader Adam Bandt has written to Speaker Milton Dick requesting the committee look at whether the former PM had committed any breaches or been in contempt of parliament.

Elsewhere, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has taken aim at upcoming legal advice from the solicitor-general, saying it will offer nothing more than a chance for Mr Albanese to criticise his predecessor.

The solicitor-general will hand his advice to the government on Monday.

Mr Dutton said while what Mr Morrison did was wrong, Australians wanted to put the scandal behind them.

Mr Albanese said his predecessor still owed an apology to Australians.

“It’s the Australian people who were kept completely in the dark with his shadow government operating,” he said.

“It’s the Australian people who have had their democracy undermined by the activities of the former Coalition government.”

Mr Morrison said he only used the extra powers once, to block a gas drilling project off the NSW coast.

That decision, made in 2021, is the subject of a Federal Court appeal.

-with AAP