Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Earlier today this chamber voted to censure the former Prime Minister, the member for Cook, following the Bell inquiry into his secret appointment to administer multiple departments. Although unprecedented, this measure was necessary to protect the foundation of our parliament and our democracy. Australians are incredibly fortunate to be able to freely participate in and contribute to robust democracy. It is incumbent on all of us in this place and the other to ensure that we do everything we can to defend this right.

One of the critical components of a strong democracy is the principle of reasonable transparency. The Australian people have a right to know precisely who is governing and administering government departments. Without this knowledge, the capacity of the people and the parliament to hold the government of the day to account is severely limited. Without accountability, our democracy is undermined.

Not only did the member for Cook appoint himself to these positions without the knowledge of his colleagues but also he deceitfully evaded public accountability. The former Prime Minister suggested that, had the opposition or the public simply asked, we would have known. This simply isn't good enough. We must all proactively uphold the institutions of good government and the processes of accountability that come with it. It would have been quite simple for the member for Cook, in his time as Prime Minister, to walk into this chamber or to go into any other public forum and make clear the arrangements that he had put in place. What's more, what we now understand is that his arguments for having done so don't hold weight, because suitable arrangements could have been made. I support the censure of the former Prime Minister in the strongest possible terms.