Matt Keogh (Burt, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Before I get to my substantive remarks on this, I need to call the attention of the House to what ostensibly amount, in some regard, to crocodile tears from the member for Dawson as to the conduct of this inquiry. There is no doubt that he has been a longstanding member of this House who has called for a royal commission. But it is also in no doubt that he is a member of this government that called that royal commission and of this government—indeed, it was the now Prime Minister, who was then the Treasurer—who restricted that royal commission to being for only 12 months, effectively thereby ensuring that the royal commission would not be able to call oral evidence from many victims of banking misconduct, limiting it to fewer than 30, despite the over 9,000 submissions that were made to that royal commission. Even with that, we have seen so many terrible issues come to light and be highlighted through this royal commission, but I think it is remiss of the member for Dawson to not acknowledge the shortcomings of and time constraints that have been placed on this royal commission, which have meant some of these issues that he and many on this side of the parliament, including myself, have highlighted are a function of the limited time that was made available to the royal commission to do its work—a decision that was made by this government, by the now Prime Minister when he was Treasurer—but, when we look at the issues that have come out of this royal commission in the time that it has gone on, we can see that they are astounding. With that, I conclude my remarks.

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