Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo, Nick Xenophon Team) Share this | Hansard source

I would just like to briefly respond to the minister's comments in relation to my amendment. I appreciate the minister's acknowledgement that this has never been done before; we have never had a 25 per cent penalty. And so I say to the minister: do it once, do it right. Let us not go back in three years' time. I think that we are missing the community's expectation here, if we think the 25 per cent penalty is enough. It is not enough for this, and particularly if you are a repeat offender and you are rorting—this is using taxpayers' money; this is not using your own money. And so, I think the community expectation for this would be that, if this is your second, third, fourth, fifth or eighth offence of this kind, then you should be receiving a higher penalty. I think the community's expectation is that 25 per cent is far too low. We should be looking at least 200 per cent—because nothing else will ensure that we do the right thing here. We have had so many examples of this.

I have to say, I feel very strongly about this. When one of us is betraying the trust of the public, we all suffer. I know that when the recent controversy was being reported—and it was being reported relentlessly—people in my community looked at me differently. They spoke to me differently. They made requests of me differently. And I felt the contempt that they had for politicians generally being directed at me personally—even though I was not guilty of anything. It was guilt by association. And they seemed to be wondering how much I had my snout in the trough, just like other members of parliament who have been found to be doing just that. And so I would urge both sides here—our two major parties—to show some leadership in relation to this and to support this amendment.

See this speech in context