Jess Walsh (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the urgency motion on transparency and accountability, moved by Senator Reynolds. I can assure chamber that our government is committed to delivering accountability, transparency and good governance in every part of our financial system. So we welcome this motion today.

You've really got to ask yourself what is going on with those opposite. It has been only a matter of months since Australians banished them to the opposition benches and ended their decade of wasted opportunities and messed up priorities, and apparently, they haven't learned a thing. They've got nothing to offer Australians. They themselves admitted: 'We're the opposition; we have no policies.' Instead, they're throwing random bits of mud and trying to see what will stick.

Today they're trying to talk about transparency and accountability of all things. We welcome this motion. We welcome the conversation today. It's pretty rich for those opposite to suddenly claim that transparency and accountability are matters of urgency for them, on the opposition benches, considering their decade of rort after rort, scandal after scandal, cover-up after cover-up. This motion has come from the people with the former Prime Minister who was the minister for health; the Minister for Finance; the minister for industry, science, energy and resources; the Minister for Home Affairs; and the Treasurer—all at the same time.