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

DREYFUS () (): My question is to the Prime Minister. It's been widely reported that last week a number of the Prime Minister's colleagues blocked an anticorruption commission with retrospective powers. Why are the Prime Minister's colleagues so concerned about an anticorruption commission with the power to investigate corrupt acts committed before it was established?

Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I will ask the minister representing the Attorney-General to respond.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The Prime Minister will resume his seat for a moment. The member for McEwen will leave under 94(a).

The member for Mc Ewen then left the chamber.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for the opportunity to answer this question from the shadow Attorney-General. Of course, the premise of his question is entirely misconceived. Quite differently to the proposition he put to the House, in fact, our government has a well-developed, carefully-thought-through model for the Commonwealth Integrity Commission. We have gone through a very detailed process. Hundreds of pages of legislation are in the public domain. We have gone through a nationwide consultation process, with 333 written submissions. And we have put in place the necessary funding. In fact, in total, almost—

Hon. Members:

Honourable members interjecting—

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! The minister will resume his seat. Before I call the member for Isaacs on a point of order, assumedly: the level of interjections is far too high. If the member for Isaacs is going to ask me about a point of order of relevance: it is very difficult to hear the minister. If you want me to be able to rule on points of order, you have to give me the opportunity to hear what is being said.

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

I think I can assist you, Mr Speaker, by pointing out that the minister has now spent a minute on irrelevant detail. I do raise a point of order on relevance. He should direct his answer to the question. He hasn't attempted so yet.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I foreshadowed, I'm going to listen carefully to the minister.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The simple fact is: while the shadow Attorney-General may not like it, what I'm going to squarely is the very extensive policy efforts made by this government in developing a detailed model for a Commonwealth integrity commission. I know the shadow Attorney-General is not great on detail when he doesn't have an instructing solicitor; I know that. We have a detailed model. We have committed, as I was saying before he leapt to his feet on an unsuccessful point, $150 million in funding. And it's very clear that the Commonwealth integrity commission will be able to investigate past conduct and matters that occurred prior to its commencement. Its jurisdiction—this is an important point—will include over 145 criminal offences that currently exist in legislation, including offences under the Criminal Code Act, fraud, abuse of office, falsification of documents, offences under the Foreign Influence Transparency Scheme Act and the Public Interest Disclosure Act. Under our detailed and well-developed policy framework, the government will also create new offences relating to corrupt conduct, including concealing corruption and repeated public sector corruption. So we have a well-developed model, and I simply repeat the offer that the Prime Minister has made publicly and repeatedly: we stand ready to introduce this legislation as soon as the Labor Party indicates that it will support it.

Andrew Wallace (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Macarthur! The member for Lyons! The member for Lyons is warned.

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We can, together. I say to the Labor Party: We can, together, take this matter forward and achieve an outcome for the Australian people. We've done the detailed work. All you need to do is sign on. It's not hard.