Mark Butler (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you for your earlier guidance, Speaker, for the future. I move:

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

(1) notes:

(a) New South Wales Police detectives formed Strike Force Garrad in November 2019 to investigate the creation of a fraudulent document that was disseminated by the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction as part of a political attack on the Lord Mayor of Sydney;

(b) New South Wales Police concluded "the document had to have been doctored from Canberra";

(c) the criminal investigation by New South Wales Police, encompassing the use of the fraudulent document by the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, was referred to the Australian Federal Police in December 2019;

(d) the Australian Federal Police has not concluded its assessment of the state referral;

(e) the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction has not provided a full statement to the House about the role the Minister and his office played in the creation and dissemination of a fraudulent document which gave rise to long-running, and not-yet-concluded, criminal investigations in two jurisdictions;

(f) the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction has not advised if he and/or his office has assisted the criminal investigations related to his conduct by providing statements, documents and access to data;

(g) the Prime Minister has failed to uphold his ministerial standards by failing to sack the Minister for Emissions Reduction for repeated breaches of those standards, including bringing the government and this House into disrepute by creating and/or disseminating a fraudulent document; and

(h) the Prime Minister has failed to explain why the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction holds a place in his Cabinet when the former Minister for Agriculture, Senator McKenzie, was forced to resign her place; and

(2) requires the:

(a) Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction to attend the House at any time before 1 pm today and, for a time not exceeding 10 minutes:

  (i) provide a full statement to the House about his role in the creation and dissemination of a fraudulent document that targeted the Lord Mayor of Sydney;

  (ii) advise how he has assisted New South Wales and Federal police in the conduct of their inquiries; and

  (iii) apologise to the House for his conduct; and

(b) Prime Minister to attend the House at any time before 1.30 pm today and, for a time not exceeding 10 minutes, explain to the House why the Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction is fit to serve as a Minister in his government but Senator McKenzie is not.

Australians with even a passing interest in politics are asking, 'How does this minister still have his'—

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