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

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

The ANAO found that the Department of Home Affairs's so-called management of the procurement of garrison support and welfare in fact was full of bungles. The department did not document their reasons for requesting quotations from Paladin. They did not appropriately benchmark costs for similar services. A probity management framework was not effectively applied in all instances. Conflicts of interest existed but they were not acknowledged nor managed. There was no performance monitoring or performance requirements, for an average of more than eight months, during the relevant time.

Paladin—the mysterious and entirely inexperienced company that was handpicked by none other than Mr Peter Dutton to run the Manus Island detention centre and awarded a $½ billion contract to boot—has been dogged by controversy. The ANAO has now found that the Department of Home Affairs has failed to document its reasons for selecting them, has failed to demonstrate value for money, has failed to apply probity measures and has failed to manage conflicts of interest. Australians deserve better.

It's no wonder that eyebrows were raised when this little-known company, which is registered to a beach shack on Kangaroo Island but has a PO box in Singapore, was awarded a 22-month government contract worth $423 million. It's no wonder that questions were asked when we learnt that the contract was awarded through a closed tender, meaning no-one else was invited to bid. This smells incredibly fishy to me, as it did to the ANAO.

Isn't it a shame that we don't have a national anticorruption watchdog to hold decision-makers to account? This is precisely why the Greens have had private members' legislation on that matter since 2010. It passed this chamber late last year and has been lying, ignored by the Morrison government, in the House. It is long past time for this government to stop making excuses for its lack of integrity and to bring on either its own version or my version of national anticorruption watchdog commission legislation. The Australian public are sick of the corruption, the favours for mates and the big donations that lead to policy outcomes that benefit vested interests. They want a national anticorruption body.

The federal government is the only jurisdiction that does not have one, and reports like this one today from the ANAO will, sadly, I fear, fall on ears that are blocked. We have seen many ANAO reports—they do an excellent job—but they are ignored. This government can no longer ignore the need for a federal anticorruption watchdog with teeth. It's just appalling that it has used a global pandemic as the latest excuse for delaying bringing in this incredibly important anticorruption measure.

We will not let up. I know members of the House of Representatives are also very interested in this matter, so watch this space. We are standing here imploring the government to finally get on with the job. Bring on your own bill and fix it up—it's too weak—or bring on my bill for a vote. The Senate passed that legislation. It wants a strong anticorruption watchdog with teeth, and this is yet another example of why one is necessary.