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Scott Morrison has become the first former prime minister to be censured by the parliament over his secret appointments to multiple ministerial portfolios.

The rare censure motion passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday 86 votes to 50.

Liberal MP Bridget Archer urged her party to draw a line in the sand over their former leader before she voted for the censure.

Ms Archer said while the coalition government had made many good decisions to protect the nation during the pandemic, Mr Morrison's actions were "entirely unnecessary".

"I do not accept any of the explanations put forward by the former prime minister ... and I'm deeply disappointed by the lack of a genuine apology or, importantly, understanding of the impact of his decisions," she said.

While senior Liberal MPs dismissed the motion as a political stunt, the backbencher said it would be hypocritical for her not to support it because of her advocacy for integrity.

"This issue sits at the heart of the ability of our party to move forward (and) this is a clear opportunity for a line to be drawn and to move in the right direction," Ms Archer said.

Earlier, Mr Morrison defended his decision and described the powers as a "dormant redundancy".

The former Liberal leader said the motion amounted to "political intimidation" by the Albanese government.

"I note the criticisms made of my decisions to be authorised to administer a series of departments have been made from the safety and relative calm of hindsight," he said.

"The government's response to censure and prosecute this motion is to engage in the politics of retribution and nothing less."

Mr Morrison said if he had been asked about the appointments at press conferences, he would have responded truthfully.

He also offered a qualified apology "to those who were offended".

"I acknowledge that non-disclosure of arrangements has caused unintentional offence and extend an apology to those who were offended," he said.

"But I do not apologise for taking action ... in a national crisis in order to save lives and to save livelihoods."

When he had finished, opposition MPs shook hands with Mr Morrison. Ms Archer remained seated.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he had expected the parliament to see "some semblance of contrition" from his predecessor.

"We got none of that. Instead, we got hubris, arrogance (and) denial," he said.

Mr Albanese said Australia's democracy was precious and there was no room for complacency.

"The former prime minister owes an apology ... to the Australian people for his undermining of democracy," he added.

House leader Tony Burke, who moved the motion, said the censure motion went to the core of the Westminster principle of responsible government.

He said Mr Morrison had undermined, rejected, attacked and abused the standards expected of parliamentarians.

He said Mr Morrison's conduct had prevented the House of Representatives from doing its job and it was "so completely unacceptable".

Censure motions do not have any legal consequences, but they are rare and give parliamentarians the chance to formally disapprove of their colleagues.

Mr Morrison appointed himself minister of health, finance, industry, science, energy and resources, treasury and home affairs between 2020 and 2021, without the knowledge of most of his coalition colleagues.

The government agreed to implement all six recommendations from former High Court judge Virginia Bell's report into Mr Morrison's conduct, to improve the transparency of ministerial appointments.

Law changes to improve transparency are expected to get the coalition's backing.

Mr Morrison said he supported the changes recommended in the Bell report.

© AAP 2022

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Actor Will Smith has addressed the shocking moment he slapped and shouted a vulgarity at comedian Chris Rock for joking about his wife's hairstyle at this year's Oscars, saying "I lost it" and that he understood if some people were not ready yet to see his new film.

Appearing on TV's The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, on Monday night to promote his new movie, Emancipation, the actor recalled the incident that overshadowed Hollywood's top awards ceremony last March.

Smith, who won his first Oscar, for best actor, for his role in tennis movie King Richard at that same ceremony, was subsequently banned from attending the Academy Awards for 10 years.

"That was a horrific night as you can imagine. There's many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I lost it," Smith told Noah.

"I was going through something that night ... not that that justifies my behaviour at all. ... It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother ... all of that just bubbled up in that moment. That's not who I want to be."

At the Oscars, Rock was on stage presenting an award when he made a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, that referenced the 1997 film GI Jane in which actor Demi Moore shaved her head.

It was unclear whether Rock was aware that Pinkett Smith has a condition that causes hair loss.

Smith marched onto the stage and slapped Rock. The 54-year-old has publicly apologised to the comedian and the film academy.

"I was gone ... That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time ... but I understand the pain," Smith told Noah.

Emancipation, about a man who escapes from slavery, is to be released next month, making it eligible for the 2023 Oscars.

In a separate interview with FOX 5 television, Smith said he would "completely understand" if some people were not yet ready to watch him in a new movie.

"I would absolutely respect that and allow them their space to not be ready," he said. "My deepest hope is that my actions don't penalise my (production) team."

© RAW 2022

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The Indian public prosecutor handling the case of a man accused of killing 24-year-old Australian Toyah Cordingley on a Queensland beach in 2018 says authorities will pursue extradition proceedings against him with "maximum speed".

Delhi police arrested Rajwinder Singh, an Australian citizen of Indian origin, on the national capital's outskirts last Friday after the Queensland government announced earlier this month a record $1 million reward for his capture.

Singh, who was remanded in judicial custody for five days, was due to appear in a Delhi magistrate's court on Wednesday for a hearing on Australia's bid to extradite him to stand trial for Cordingley's murder.

"It's a heinous offence," Ajay Digpaul, the government's prosecuting counsel, told AAP on Tuesday.

"We will seek to ensure this case proceeds with maximum speed," he said.

Australian police suspect Singh stabbed Cordingley to death on Wangetti Beach, north of Cairns, as she took a morning walk with her dog.

Singh boarded a flight to India, leaving his wife and three children, a day after Cordingley was reported missing.

Cordingley's father found the body of his daughter, who worked in a pharmacy, half-buried in the sand.

The dog was tied up unharmed to a tree.

Local Indian media report Singh allegedly told Delhi police he got into an argument with Cordingley because her dog barked at him.

The prosecution is "very focused on this case," Digpaul said.

But Singh "will have the right to appeal," he added.

Legal experts have raised concerns that Singh's extradition process could drag on for years as India's justice system is notoriously slow-moving with millions of pending cases.

Australia asked for Singh's extradition to stand trial for murder in March 2021.

But Singh, who was clean-shaven when in Australia, grew a beard and donned a turban in India to disguise himself and constantly shifted locations to evade arrest.

After announcing the reward along with a WhatsApp contact number, Australian police said they got a number of tips from India on Singh's whereabouts.

Delhi police said they arrested Singh using information from local investigators, Australian police and Interpol.

Digpaul said "all the case documents and the extradition request have been filed with the court" and the accused's lawyers also now have the documents.

India approved Australia's extradition request last month.

The prosecutor said Singh will hear the allegations that he "carried out an offence of murder" in Australia and could take "some days".

Singh's counsel "will have the right to cross-examine," Digpaul added.

Singh - who is being held in Tihar Jail, South Asia's biggest prison - will have the right to appeal to the Delhi High Court if the magistrate rules against him.

"We will make all efforts to ensure that the matter is concluded as quickly as possible," Digpaul said.

© AAP 2022

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National Geographic Outback Wrangler star Matt Wright is expected to face a Darwin court to face a slew of charges related to a helicopter crash that killed a cast member.

The crocodile trapper-turned-media personality is accused of perverting the course of justice and destruction of evidence stemming from the February crash that killed Chris Wilson.

Wright, 43, is also accused of fabricating evidence, interfering with witnesses, making a false declaration and two counts of unlawful entry after the helicopter crashed into trees and the ground.

The father of two was released on bail on Tuesday after he flew from Sydney and turned himself into police.

His bail conditions include a direction to not contact certain people and to reside at a prescribed address.

Mr Wilson, 34, died when the Robinson R44 helicopter he was attached to by a 30-metre line using a harness crashed in west Arnhem Land.

His body was found 40 metres from the main wreckage at the King River crash site, a preliminary Air Transport Safety Bureau report revealed in April.

Mr Wilson, also a father of two, was dangling the strap to harvest eggs from crocodile nests in swampy areas while the helicopter hovered above.

The crashed helicopter was one of three collecting eggs on the day. It was found by one of the other crews after failing to respond to radio calls.

Pilot Sebastian Robinson was seriously injured and airlifted to Maningrida, before being transferred to hospital in Darwin.

A preliminary ATSB analysis of the site indicated the accident happened when the helicopter's main rotor blade struck and cut through a tree trunk multiple times before the aircraft hit the ground.

In a statement on Monday, a representative for Wright said "Matt strenuously denies any wrongdoing".

"What happened was a tragic accident that took the life of a close mate," the representative said.

"His immediate concern following the accident was the condition of the two team members on board at the time.

"The next priority was ensuring the other helicopters and team members at the site weren't at risk and that the location was safe."

Outback Wrangler is an adventure TV series filmed in remote Top End locations that airs in Australia on Nine and Netflix and in more than 90 countries.

The show chronicles the capture and transport of dangerous animals that pose a threat to people, including crocodiles and buffalo.

NT police officer Neil Mellon and helicopter pilot Michael Burbidge have also been charged in relation to the crash.

Wright is scheduled to appear at Darwin Local Court on Wednesday at 9.30am.

© AAP 2022