Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for the Arts) Share this | Hansard source

I seek leave to move the following motion:

That the House:

(1) notes:

  (a) last week, the Morrison-Joyce government voted down a privileges motion given precedence by the Speaker for the first time since Federation;

  (b) media reports that "Liberal backbenchers were completely horrified" by that vote, which protected the Member for Pearce from having to disclose the sources of donations;

  (c) this renders the Register of Members' Interests completely meaningless; and

  (d) those same backbenchers now have the chance to put things right and restore basic standards of transparency and integrity to this Parliament;

(2) provides leave for the Manager of Opposition Business to once again move a motion to refer the Member for Pearce to the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests.

Leave not granted.

I move:

That so much of the standing orders be suspended as would prevent the Manager of Opposition Business from moving the following motion immediately:

(1) notes:

  (a) last week, the Morrison-Joyce government voted down a privileges motion given precedence by the Speaker for the first time since Federation;

  (b) media reports that "Liberal backbenchers were completely horrified" by that vote, which protected the Member for Pearce from having to disclose the sources of donations;

  (c) this renders the Register of Members' Interests completely meaningless; and

  (d) those same backbenchers now have the chance to put things right and restore basic standards of transparency and integrity to this Parliament;

(2) provides leave for the Manager of Opposition Business to once again move a motion to refer the Member for Pearce to the Committee of Privileges and Members' Interests.

It's no good telling the media privately that you think last week's vote was a terrible thing if you were part of that vote. Every one of those members who wants to go off to the media or to their electorate and claim it was nothing to do with them should change their vote today.

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