Barnaby Joyce (New England, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Speaker. The issue is that what people want is a form of making sure that they get justice. They want to get justice, because it is only right and proper. That is why we have organisations such as ICAC, that is why we have organisations such as ASIC and that is why we have the prudential oversight not only to investigate but also to prosecute, if it is required to prosecute. This is incredibly important, because people want to make sure they have a clear and unambiguous attachment to the form of probity.

The question of probity is something that is absolutely fundamental to the parliamentary process. Probity is never better seen not only in how people act but also in how they are deemed to act. Where there are any questions that call a judgement against that probity, and when that probity is judged, it relies on those who have a leadership position to stand up and show the Australian people that they have their best interests at heart and not their certain affirmed loyalties or their requirement of loyalties to their factional mates. What we have seen is that same question, that same desire by people on the land, by people dealing with the banking sector, to say, 'I want to be treated justly.' That justice, which flows down from the top, has to be seen by a parliamentary system to be without question.

We have a senior frontbencher from the opposition, from the Labor Party, who quite clearly—and he admits to it himself—is brought into question, so much so that he tried to refund the payment made to him, so much so that the charity that he tried to refund it to handed the money back. This obviously calls into question that there is not the capacity held by the Leader of the Labor Party to do the right thing.

Honourable members interjecting—

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