Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) shortly before Question Time yesterday, the NSW Police issued a statement confirming that detectives had launched Strike Force Garrad to investigate a fraudulent document used by the Minister for Emissions Reduction;

(b) the statement by the NSW Police said "as investigations are ongoing, no further information is available";

(c) despite that statement and only hours later, the Prime Minister called the NSW Police Commissioner and sought further information, later telling the Parliament they had spoken “about the instigation, the nature and the substance of their inquiries”;

(d) today, Malcolm Turnbull said it would have been much better had the Prime Minister’s phone call to the NSW Police Commissioner not been made because it was important the inquiry “is seen to be conducted entirely free of political influence”; and

(e) when Members of his Government were the subject of a police investigation, John Howards said "I told my colleagues that the Federal Police should be allowed to carry out this investigation without let or hindrance from me or anybody in the federal government"; and

(2) therefore resolves, the Prime Minister acted inappropriately by:

(a) calling the NSW Police Commissioner when all he had in mind was his own political interest and not the national interest; and

(b) thinking none of the usual rules of integrity and accountability apply to him.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the member for Grayndler from moving the following motion immediately—That the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) shortly before Question Time yesterday, the NSW Police issued a statement confirming that detectives had launched Strike Force Garrad to investigate a fraudulent document used by the Minister for Emissions Reduction;

(b) the statement by the NSW Police said "as investigations are ongoing, no further information is available";

(c) despite that statement and only hours later, the Prime Minister called the NSW Police Commissioner and sought further information, later telling the Parliament they had spoken "about the instigation, the nature and the substance of their inquiries";

(d) today, Malcolm Turnbull said it would have been much better had the Prime Minister's phone call to the NSW Police Commissioner not been made because it was important the inquiry "is seen to be conducted entirely free of political influence"; and

(e) when Members of his Government were the subject of a police investigation, John Howards said "I told my colleagues that the Federal Police should be allowed to carry out this investigation without let or hindrance from me or anybody in the federal government"; and

(2) therefore resolves, the Prime Minister acted inappropriately by:

(a) calling the NSW Police Commissioner when all he had in mind was his own political interest and not the national interest; and

(b) thinking none of the usual rules of integrity and accountability apply to him.

The fact is—

See this speech in context