Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party, Assistant Minister to the Deputy Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I came into this chamber today in good faith—but that's been shattered—that we were going to debate in this MPI the characteristics of an integrity commission, maybe what should and shouldn't be in it, how it can be improved and the types of things that should happen in a consultation process when you're putting something like that together, which we are. But, of course, that's not what it's about at all. It was never the intention of those opposite to come in here and debate the characteristics of a good integrity commission or how you could improve an integrity commission. That was not their intention at all. Their intention—and we've seen it from the member for Whitlam and now from the member for Isaacs—was to come in here and give some very tawdry performances.

It is very easy to come in here behind parliamentary privilege and start shouting out allegations about politicians on the other side of this place. If we wanted to do that, we could. There's plenty of ammunition with which we could come in here behind parliamentary privilege too. If you're going to quote TV shows, there was a TV show not that long ago that had some pretty interesting allegations about members of the Labor Party. We could come in and do the same thing. Wouldn't that be edifying? Wouldn't that be edifying right now for the people of Australia? Wouldn't that be edifying right now if we were both doing that as Australians were worried about their jobs, their businesses and their health? The best the Labor Party can do, while that's going on, is come in and give an exceptionally tawdry affair, behind an MPI in which they say want to talk about an integrity commission, and just make baseless allegations against members opposite them. It's a very, very disappointing day today for the parliamentary performance of the Labor Party.

Let's go to the issue of an integrity commission. As the Minister for Population, Cities and Urban Infrastructure said earlier, yes, we are well advanced, and if it weren't for COVID and other disruptions to parliament we'd be even more progressed in the establishment of the Commonwealth Integrity Commission. A detailed consultation paper has been put out. The model is in two parts. I know those opposite don't want to listen to this; they have no interest in it. They just want to get up. I'm sure the next member, whoever it is, has got their piece of paper out, ready to go and insult people on this side.

I'm sure they don't want to listen to this, but I'll go through where we are in the establishment of the Commonwealth Integrity Commission. There are going to be two parts. There is going to be a law enforcement integrity division. It's going to have the same functions and powers as the current Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity but with even broader jurisdiction. The second is an entirely new part, which is going to be the public sector integrity division. This will investigate alleged criminal corruption involving the remainder of the public sector departments, their staff, parliamentarians' staff and judicial officers. It will have very broad jurisdiction.

While I'm talking about this I want to make the point that, despite some very well documented exceptions, like Eddie Obeid, Australia is by international comparison a very non-corrupt country. I think it's important that the other side acknowledge that. I hope they would, even though they're just doing their performances today. There are obviously examples of corruption, but, generally speaking, the majority of people in this place and many other public officials around this country do their job very well and with no effect of corruption.

Returning to what we're looking to do, the model we're proposing would have standing powers greater than those of a royal commission. Both the law enforcement integrity side and the public sector integrity side would have powers beyond those of a royal commission. On the agencies, one of the reasons Australia does have a good record in not being a corrupt country is that we have a multiagency approach to anticorruption activities. Already we have the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, the Australian Electoral Commission, the Australian Federal Police, the AFP-hosted Fraud and Anti-Corruption centre, the Australian National Audit Office, the Australian Public Service Commission, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the Commonwealth Ombudsman, the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority, the inspectors-general of intelligence, security, taxation and the Australian Defence Force. We have a lot of agencies already in a multiagency approach that look at this.

I throw the challenge to the next Labor member to get up. Don't give a tawdry performance and throw baseless allegations around. Talk about the merits of a good integrity commission.

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