Helen Haines (Indi, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I present certified petition No. EN1412.

The petition read as follows—

Establish a Federal Integrity Commission that upholds the Beechworth Principles

This petition of certain citizens of Australia draws to the attention of the House: In Beechworth in 1853, miners gathered to herald the beginning of a democratic revolution. They sought to reform the broken and imperfect institutions of their country. They called for those institutions to be accountable to the people they represented, to act solely in the public interest, and to be condemned when they failed to do so. The actions of those people changed Australian democracy forever. Now, at a time when faith in our institutions has never been lower and Australians are losing belief in the ability of politics to improve their lives, we invoke the spirit of these early democrats for another great reform – to establish a Federal Integrity Commission, with broad jurisdiction, common rules, appropriate investigative powers, fair public hearings and that is accountable to the people.

We therefore ask the House to: Support the passage of a Bill establishing a Federal Integrity Commission that upholds the Beechworth Principles:

• Broad jurisdiction: Everyone involved in Federal public service must be subject to independent scrutiny.

• Common rules: All persons must be held to a single standard of behaviour.

• Appropriate powers: The Commission must be empowered to fulfil its purpose.

• Fair hearings: Investigations should be conducted openly when in the public interest.

• Accountability to the people: The Commission must remain accountable to public, not political interests.

From 115 citizens

Petition received.

by leave—I also table an uncertified petition on the Beechworth principles as a document for referral to the Petitions Committee.

A short time ago, in late February, I spoke in this place about the genesis of this petition and how the Beechworth principles came to be. I shared the story of William Guest, an innocent young gold-digger from Beechworth who, in 1853, was gunned down in a flagrant misuse of police power that went unchecked. I also shared the story of an impassioned and resolute community of gold-diggers in Beechworth who witnessed this injustice and refused to stand by and let their government respond to perverse breaches of public trust by conducting sham, closed-door inquiries into itself.

This story may have been 167 years ago, but its principles rang true and deep for Australians today—Australians who believe our democracy is straining, Australians who are exhausted from politics prone to corruption, partiality and scandal. Just like 1853, the community has raised its voice again. The Beechworth principles are simple but compelling, calling for a federal integrity commission with five key characteristics: broad jurisdiction to investigate the people it needs to; common rules so that everybody is held to the same standard of behaviour; appropriate powers so that it can actually do its job; fair hearings so that investigations are done openly when in the public interest; and accountability to the people so that the commission answers to public, not political interests.

These five principles stand not as an ultimatum but as an invitation. These five principles are directed at a government that has missed its own deadlines to introduce this bill. Instead of an integrity commission, this government has instead given us bountiful examples of why we need an integrity commission. In 1853 Dr Owens, who led the fearless campaign for an independent inquiry into the circumstances of the shooting of William Guest, asked the people, 'Do you know what representation means? Of course you do.' It's never an accident that one finds oneself on the just side of history. Rather, it is a conscious choice. Mr Deputy Speaker O'Brien, here are a set of endorsed and enduring principles upon which this government can do right.