Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

There were lots of debating points in that contribution by Senator McAllister to be responded to. Perhaps I can draw particular reference to Minister Birmingham and his response to the question. I think it was an important point he made, and it's something all of us on this side of the chamber hold dear, and that is that in the Liberal Party of Australia we have the right—and indeed there's an expectation, from some of our members—that we will exercise that right from time to time when we consider it necessary, to cross the floor on matters of great principle, of great conviction and of conscience. The member for Bass, Bridget Archer MP, exercised that right last week, and that is her right in the Liberal Party.

I want to quote from the article that appeared in the Guardian on 24 November 2021 in relation to Mrs Archer MP, member for Bass, exercising that right:

"To be perfectly clear, I always reserve my right to cross the floor, that is one of the reasons I sit on this side [in the Liberal party]," Archer said.

So when Bridget Archer made her decision, as the member for Bass, as to which party she would represent, one of the core principles of the Liberal Party of Australia had direct relevance to that decision, and that was her right—her right, as it is of every member of the Liberal Party in the lower house and every Liberal senator in the upper house, and similarly members of the National Party—to cross the floor on matters of deep conviction and on matters of conscience if they believe that is what they need to do in order to represent their constituencies and to act in accordance with their principles. That's what Mrs Archer, the member for Bass, did last week, and I deeply respect her for making that decision.

We also heard from our Prime Minister in relation to that decision that our party is not a party of drones. There are strong personalities, strong-minded individuals in our party. We've seen that demonstrated in the 2½ years during which I've been sitting in this place—and I'm sure we'll continue to see it demonstrated in the future. I think that's a good thing for our democracy. The particular matter that Mrs Archer, the member for Bass, crossed the floor on, in terms of a Commonwealth Integrity Commission, is an important matter. I certainly am 100 per cent behind the introduction of a Commonwealth Integrity Commission. Do I support the Independent member's bill? No, because I am deeply concerned, with respect to a Commonwealth integrity commission, about the impact any structure that might be adopted could have upon persons who are subject to complaints.

As I have done in the past, I want to bring the chamber's attention to the matter of Mr Stephen Pearce, who went through the New South Wales ICAC process. Mr Pearce was the deputy commissioner of the State Emergency Service. He went through an absolute ordeal through the New South Wales ICAC. An article by Natalie O'Brien in the Sydney Morning Herald, dated 13 February 2016, quotes Mr Steven Pearce:

"My family and I suffered substantial public humiliation, emotional and financial trauma," he said.

"Never did the system look after me and I was crucified publicly and professionally."

These are important issues. Mrs Archer, the member for Bass, was quite entitled to cross the floor, and she was deeply respected for doing so. At the same time, I will say to this chamber that I will do all I can to make sure that any Commonwealth integrity commission gets the balance right in terms of pursuing matters which ought to be pursued by a corruption commission but also in terms of ensuring that reputations are not unnecessarily trashed, as the legacy lasts forever even though the political caravan moves on. (Time expired)