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Scott Morrison taking on five portfolios in secret has been branded crazy and dodgy by Labor frontbencher Jason Clare.

The repercussions of the former prime minister appointing himself to the finance, treasury, health, home affairs and resources portfolios remain unknown and the solicitor-general is preparing advice for the prime minister to be delivered on Monday.

He was sworn in to the roles between March 2020 and May 2021.

"It's wrong in principle the former prime minister did this at all. It's made worse by the cover-up, the secrecy. It's something that never happened before and shouldn't happen again," Mr Clare told the ABC on Wednesday.

"This is mind boggling stuff, crazy stuff. The fact this was kept secret tells you that they knew this was dodgy as buggery."

Mr Clare also took aim at the Liberals defending Mr Morrison's actions after Opposition Leader Peter Dutton sought to justify the appointments due to the "war-like" environment of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We heard yesterday some pretty weak mealy-mouthed excuses by Scott Morrison's colleagues, including Peter Dutton, saying we were in the teeth of a pandemic and these were war-like situations," Mr Clare said.

"We've been to war and we never did this. When war broke out in Europe, Menzies didn't do this. When the Japanese were on the march on the way to Port Moresby, John Curtin didn't do this."

Mr Clare told AAP the government will wait for the solicitor-general's advice before deciding how to prevent something similar happening in future, such as making it mandatory to gazette such appointments.

"We're open to reform," Mr Clare said.

"I expect cabinet will consider both the advice from the department and any advice we receive from the solicitor-general and then take further steps."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the actions of his predecessor followed a pattern of secrecy.

"Scott Morrison appointed himself to a cabinet committee of just one so any meetings he had with other people he could say they were co-opted and keep it away from freedom of information," he told radio 4BC.

"Our democracy relies on people being open and transparent about what's going on (and) people being accountable and that's why this is such a shocking series of revelations."

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley attacked the prime minister for not focusing on the cost of living and skills shortages.

"The fact this is featuring so heavily today is a strong indictment on the focus and priorities of Mr Albanese. He came back from a week's holiday and on day one, focused on his old job of opposition leader," she told Sky News.

"Australians want him to focus on the issues in their lives. Nothing in this is going to bring down your power bills."

Mr Morrison has apologised to his colleagues for having secretly sworn himself into their portfolios but launched a staunch defence of his actions.

The embattled former prime minister took to Facebook to explain himself, saying in hindsight some of the arrangements were unnecessary.

Meanwhile, former home affairs minister Karen Andrews called on Mr Morrison to resign from parliament.

"The Australian people have been let down, they have been betrayed," she said on Tuesday.

Former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce added while it wasn't illegal, he should've been informed about the extent of Mr Morrison's move, only being aware of the move in Keith Pitt's resources portfolio.

"Do I think it's the right thing to do? No it's not, why? Because we have a cabinet system of government," he told the ABC.

"Its better that the deputy PM (is informed). We had numerous discussions about it ... (but) the minister is the person that should have carriage of these issues."

© AAP 2022

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet will commit to a new reconstruction authority and the raising of the Warragamba Dam wall when he releases a long-awaited report into this year's flooding.

Mr Perrottet has chosen Lismore in northern NSW, the epicentre of the devastating floods, to on Wednesday announce his government's response to the report by former chief scientist Mary O'Kane and former police commissioner Mick Fuller.

The premier tasked the pair with investigating recovery and reconstruction efforts after the floods in the Northern Rivers and Hawkesbury-Nepean, which killed 13 across the state.

One of the key recommendations from the independent report is the establishment of a Reconstruction Authority, with the government intent on setting one up by the end of year, Mr Perrottet's office told AAP.

AAP understands the authority will "be the state's lead agency responsible for disaster prevention" with an outlook towards long-term flood mitigation solutions.

The authority will be "responsible for managing and coordinating (the) government's program of housing and infrastructure renewal and recovery within disaster-affected communities".

It will also be "tasked with sourcing and acquitting reconstruction funding from state, Commonwealth and philanthropic sources to ensure it is distributed and spent efficiently, effectively, and equitably to impacted communities".

Resilience NSW, which has come under fire for its bureaucratic pace under the leadership Shane Fitzsimmons, will be reconfigured. Previous reports indicated it could be dismantled and its chief sacked.

Another key proposal backed by Mr Perrottet is the controversial raising of the Warragamba Dam in Sydney's west.

The 28-page case study enclosed in the report says raising the wall will reduce failure to evacuate by 88 per cent by 2041.

It also notes that raising the wall, which has been criticised by experts, will delay key infrastructure flooding by 11 hours, including ensuring access to Windsor bridge, which is a vital evacuation route.

"The dam wall raising is costly and predicted to impact sensitive Aboriginal sites and biodiversity," the report cautioned, adding it is "part of the suite of options ... that together have potential to significantly mitigate flood risk in the (Hawkesbury-Nepean) Valley".

The flood response of the NSW and federal governments has faced widespread criticism, including for taking too long to rescue victims and provide follow-up relief.

© AAP 2022

Scott Morrison has apologised to his colleagues for having secretly sworn himself into their portfolios, but launched a staunch defence of his actions.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed on Tuesday Mr Morrison had appointed himself to the finance, treasury, health, home affairs and resources portfolios in secret.

He was sworn in to the roles between March 2020 and May 2021.

The embattled former prime minister took to Facebook to explain himself, posting a 1200-word response.

"In hindsight these arrangements were unnecessary," he said of the treasury and home affairs portfolios.

"For any offence to my colleagues I apologise."

Mr Morrison said the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic crisis required an "unprecedented policy response".

"The risk of ministers becoming incapacitated, sick, hospitalised, incapable of doing their work at a critical hour or even fatality was very real," he wrote.

It comes as former home affairs minister Karen Andrews called on Mr Morrison, the MP for the Sydney seat of Cook, to resign from parliament.

"The Australian people have been let down, they have been betrayed," she said.

"For a former prime minister to have behaved in that manner, to secretly be sworn into other portfolios, undermines the Westminster system, it's absolutely unacceptable."

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton wouldn't comment on whether Mr Morrison should quit parliament.

"It was a war-like situation, and there was concern about what would happen ... people were on ventilators and people were dying at that stage, and that's the context in which the prime minister at the time, Mr Morrison, made some of those decisions," he told reporters in Launceston.

"I wasn't aware of the decisions."

Former finance minister Simon Birmingham said he was also unaware that his portfolio was taken at the same time he held it, while refusing to say whether Mr Morrison should leave.

Nationals leader David Littleproud said Australians should accept Mr Morrison's explanation, despite labelling the behaviour "pretty ordinary" a day earlier.

Mr Albanese is awaiting advice from the solicitor-general on whether Mr Morrison's actions have any legal repercussions.

One of the decisions, relating to rejection of the PEP-11 gas project off the NSW coast, is the subject of a Federal Court appeal.

The Greens are seeking advice on a possible referral of Mr Morrison to the parliament's privileges committee.

© AAP 2022