Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

When I decided to run for parliament, to represent the people of Tangney, I was seriously concerned, because I believed that our country faced a challenge. This challenge was one that affected all areas of government. I'm talking about the lack of transparency that the Albanese Labor government is bringing to an end.

To mention a few examples: I remember a high-ranking official of the Liberal Party involved in shady deals with their former partners. I also remember car park rorts, with the announcement of $121 million later inflated to $300 million, just to benefit political friends. I remember sports rorts that handed out money to applicants that were not the ones that deserved it the most, according to the Australian National Audit Office. But this should not come to us as a surprise. How can we expect transparency from the people led by a super minister—a man that appointed himself as minister of everything?

We should consider ourselves privileged. Our constituents deposited in us their faith and their hopes. They expect us to lead this country with integrity, and we cannot betray their trust. I believe in justice, and I believe that those who act against the public interest eventually are exposed. I believe that selfishly putting your own interests above those of our nation comes at a great cost. I would not want to be in their position and have to go to bed with a heavy conscience.

But this government can be proud of being different. In the first year of this government, the National Anti-Corruption Commission was created—an independent body with the authority to investigate any case suspected of corruption. I had the honour to work on this legislation, side by side with many talented, wise colleagues. But even though we have made progress, we still know that corruption is not limited just to public officials. Many will try to take advantage of their personal relationships, their position of influence and their economic power, but we have rules in place to prevent private interests interfering with the development of public policies.

It was a Labor government that established the Lobbying Code of Conduct. This way, government representatives can always be aware of whose interests lobbyists represent. Any person who expects to lobby the government on behalf of a third party must be registered and compliant with the integrity and transparency framework set out in the code.

Our Attorney-General's Department does a good job enforcing this code, including investigating alleged or potential breaches. Under the code, a lobbyist that has committed a serious breach can be barred. Furthermore, if they fail to comply with their obligations they might be removed from the register. The court has been updated recently, with the last time being 2022. Those modifications aim to strengthen the compliance and enforcement options available to the secretary of the department, introduce continuous disclosure requirements and improve transparency where former ministers, advisers and officials are engaged in lobbying activities. Lobbying is not the main concern of the National Anti-Corruption Commission, but, where breaches to the code could consist of systematic corruption, the commission would have jurisdiction to investigate. With the work our Attorney-General's Department does and the National Anti-Corruption Commission in place, we have a solid defence against corrupt interests. That way we can guarantee that the work we do here is for the benefit of all Australians.

See this speech in context