Jacinta Collins (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for School Education and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Acting Deputy President. What I was about to say—and to remind Senator Brandis, as he full knows—is that this is not the way the Senate usually deals with personal explanations. But I will come to that in a moment.

It was, however, a remarkable confession, received with great scepticism by senators on this side of the chamber. Senators would be aware of the significance of honouring the very important obligation to maintain a complete and accurate statement of private interests. Holding office as a senator is a privilege that carries with it an obligation to behave at all times with the utmost integrity and to act in the public interest. I am sure that none of my Senate colleagues would argue with this very important statement of principle, even those on the other side of the chamber. I am sure we would all agree that a critical component of our ethical obligations is making a full and frank disclosure of our private interests so that the Australian people can have confidence that our private interests do not conflict with our official duties as senators.

It is indisputable that those who hold leadership positions ought to be held to an even higher—I stress, an even higher—standard than normal. Senator Sinodinos, for example, is the shadow parliamentary secretary to the Leader of the Opposition, a position of great trust. The Australian people expect those of us who are privileged to hold such positions to lead by example, and they will rightly condemn us when we fail to conduct ourselves appropriately. Political life is littered with sad tales of those who lost office because of impropriety, maladministration or indeed misconduct.