Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian Federal Police Association has today slammed the Attorney-General's proposed integrity commission as a protection racket for government MPs. The government's proposed 'cover-up commission' would create a two-tier system, with public hearings possible for law enforcement officials accused of corruption but hearings for politicians, like himself, and public servants working under the direction of this government to be held only in secret. What does that tell us about this Attorney-General's commitment to integrity? But you don't have to take my word for it. The head of the association representing the Federal Police today called out the hypocrisy of the Attorney-General when he said:

If you're going to create a system for integrity, then it needs to be one rule for everybody. You can't just say 'my mates get this, and everyone else gets that'. It's just not fair. It's almost like creating a protection racket for their parliamentary mates.

The indictment of the Morrison government's proposal as a protection racket for Liberal Party mates adds to the wave of criticism the Attorney-General's proposal has had from legal experts across the country. The ever-growing list of scandals surrounding the Morrison government shows why Australia needs a powerful and independent national integrity commission and why Mr Morrison and his colleagues will apparently do everything in their power to prevent one from being established.