Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

This government, as the foreign minister has made absolutely clear, strongly supports a return to democratic processes and the holding of elections in Pakistan. It is hoped that the elections that we have just had in Pakistan will produce a workable government and an early return to full democracy. I am going to assume, charitably, that the member for Ryan would support that sentiment even though we heard nothing from him about that.

It is ironic to hear, from members on the other side, a motion that asks this House to recognise the importance of ministerial accountability in our Westminster system of government. Be in no doubt that the Labor Party—we on this side of the House—fully recognise the importance of ministerial accountability. The shame is that the former government did not. Regrettably, I do not have time to give you what would be a very long list of the failures by the former government to pay even the slightest attention to, to use the words of the motion, ‘the importance of ministerial accountability’.

I need only go back to about 2004, which is probably far enough. I remind the House that, when the former member for Dawson was the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, she was found to have breached the former government’s ministerial code of conduct when she employed a former lobbyist, Ken Crooke, before announcing a grant of $1.27 million to the company where that lobbyist had previously worked. There was no accountability, because the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, the former member for Dawson, remained in her post.

I could mention the Australian Wheat Board disaster. No minister answered for that shame in Australia’s history. I could mention what occurred in relation to the history of maladministration of the immigration department under not one but two ministers for immigration. It was year after year of ministerial mismanagement where we saw Australian citizens deported—(Time expired)

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