Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I am incredibly disappointed that we have a chance now, in this term of government, to actually pass a bill to establish a National Integrity Commission, this federal anticorruption watchdog that the public has been desperate to get for so long and that the Greens have been working for since 2009 with motions, with bills and with inquiries, but what's happened here is that the two big parties have ganged up and sent this off for inquiry with a report date past the budget, when we all know that the parliament will be prorogued and we'll be in an election campaign. It is just a little bit too convenient that this date has been chosen. This is effectively killing the member for Indi's bill to establish an ICAC, and we all in this chamber know it.

I want to make sure that the public and anyone who's listening to this understands what's going on here. I think it's an absolute abomination. We know that we have the numbers to establish an ICAC. We can all see what's happening in the House, the disarray that the government have fallen into and the fact that they have now lost the numbers. There is enough support in both chambers to set up a federal anticorruption body. I'm about to introduce a bill, when we move to the next part of business, to do just that. Ms McGowan has introduced a bill. We don't care whose bill gets up.

The Australian public don't care whose name is on this; they just want this outcome. They are desperate to get their democracy back. It is laughable that there is an assertion that there's no corruption and that this body is not needed. The Commonwealth is the last jurisdiction to not have an anticorruption body. Today the ACT are passing a bill to set up an anticorruption watchdog in their jurisdiction. We are the last ones that don't have this body that holds us all to account.

The Australian public's opinion of all of us in here is very low—and is it any wonder when you are standing in the way of a watchdog, a body, that looks into corruption, dodgy dealing, donations that buy policy outcomes, and fancy lunches that buy access and policy outcomes? We've got a chance to actually clean up democracy. We've got a chance to get the vested interests out of democracy and put the people back in. That's what we're elected to do. What's happening here is that you two have stitched up a deal to kick this off into the long grass. It is absolutely outrageous. We've been working on this for 10 years—and over my dead body will we stop working on this, because this is an issue that the Australian public want action on.

Opposition senators interjecting—

I'm sorry that you find that amusing. The Australian public don't find it amusing. They want action on this. We've got the chance to do that and, instead, you're sending this off to an inquiry that won't report until after the election is called. What a joke! What you're doing is killing this bill.

I hope that we get support for the bill that I'll be moving to introduce very shortly. But, as I say, I don't mind whose bill gets up. The Australian public don't care whose name is on the front cover; they just want an anticorruption body. So I would urge both sides of the chamber to support my amendment to bring the report date forward to 12 February. There's still time to look into this bill. We can still look at how it's going to work. We can still give consideration to potential amendments and tweaks if those are deemed necessary. We can still follow that decent process, but we could then still have time to pass this body and make it happen.

The fact that you're standing in the way of that really puts the lie to the fact that you supported my motion last week to set up an anticorruption body. If you don't want to do it, why did you say you do? We had support for that motion. A vote wasn't even called in the House. Obviously, that's because the government knew they were going to lose. Labor supported the motion. If you say you support a federal anticorruption body, why don't you follow through when you've got the chance to do that? Surely that's the least that the Australian public can expect of us in here.