Zali Steggall (Warringah, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Standards are expected of a member of this House, and I think it's really important that we remember that. It's so important that Australians have trust in government. We know that transparency and accountability have to be, absolutely, the most important values. It's also really important to show leadership. At times it will be easy, when circumstances are going well and in your favour, and sometimes it will be hard. It may be pride-swallowing hard. But leadership, a real moral compass and real strength of character is about acknowledging errors and apologising.

I wasn't going to speak on this motion. I think it's an incredibly important time in our political history. It's a very important motion, a censure motion on a former Prime Minister, and I am very aware of the risk of it descending into political tit-for-tat—that this becomes too much of that. The wording of the motion—and I thank the Leader of the House for that—included the very important and stern findings of the Hon. Justice Bell, and I think the words of the report say it all. There really was very little that needed to be said beyond that, beyond acknowledging the importance of her findings. I disagree with some of the more political comments that have been made in some of the speeches this morning.

Unfortunately, the facts raised in justification by the member for Cook make it necessary to speak and to indicate why I do support this motion, because what was said did not in any justify the secrecy, and I strongly reject the attempt to justify it based on the extraordinary circumstances of COVID, in particular in relation to the resources portfolio and PEP-11. Democracy is fragile, and we all have a responsibility to protect it. In politics, accountability is important, and so I support the motion.

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