Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I really welcome the opportunity to talk about this important issue of the establishment of an integrity commission, anticorruption commission, for the Commonwealth. I do so because members on this side of the chamber were elected on a platform to deliver one in this term of parliament, and unless I'm mistaken we're still in this term of parliament. Critically, what we're seeking to do is develop an anticorruption commission that actually has integrity. This is an important point. One of the reasons we need to make sure we consider it very carefully and make sure the legislation is right is the sponsor of this motion: the member for Isaacs.

The member for Isaacs has many, shall we say, tricks. These tricks can involve making baseless allegations in this parliament in the hope of attracting a headline. They can include tricks like getting out his pad of allegations and making referrals of members in this place to the Australian Federal Police with virtually no evidence whatsoever. In fact, I've previously described the member for Isaacs as addicted to an AFP referral pad like a dodgy doctor is to the issuing of medications to drug addicts. The reality is, the member for Isaacs has consistently sought to abuse referrals to the Australian Federal Police for political gain, wasted the time of the Australian Federal Police, wasted public resources, for naked and pathetic political gain. It's not really surprising, because he is on the last hurrah of his time in this parliament. I understand he has already been advised about the fact that he will be dumped from the shadow ministry in the next term of parliament should he be re-elected because he no longer carries the support of the Victorian right. So I do understand trying to draw attention to his performance matters now because he is applying for his job, even though he has been denied in the next parliament. But let's leave aside the member for Isaacs' failed future to him.

Let's talk about what we want to do with an anticorruption body and an integrity commission. What we want to do is get referrals from proper agencies who have competency and capacity to judge what is in the best interests of Australians and what matters should progress through to being considered by such anticorruption agencies, not simply the political whims of the failed member for Isaacs. That is what we are doing. We have put out a consultation paper that is looking at exactly how we develop an anticorruption framework that will enhance accountability across the public sector.

This consultation process on legislation to establish a commission has recently been completed, with 333 written submissions received and 46 consultations, meetings and roundtables occurring during the consultation period. That is the difference between drawing up a post-it note policy like the opposition and a comprehensive consultative legislative reform under a competent Commonwealth Morrison government.

I do realise that this pains members of the opposition because, with respect to the minister who gave the first speech in this debate in response to the MPI, he forgot someone. I notice the member for Ballarat also forgot someone in her rebuke of the minister. Of course, it was the corrupt former Senator Sam Dastyari, caught taking brown paper bags, having debts wiped out by Chinese national interests against the interests of our nation. So that didn't go through an anticorruption commission but, yes, there definitely has been a Labor senator who has been caught red-handed betraying his nation while serving in this parliament. And I notice the silence—

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