Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, President, for your ruling and statement made just before. Confidence in the integrity of the operations of the parliament is of supreme importance; confidence in the operation of this Senate chamber is of supreme importance; and confidence in the operation of our Senate committees is, equally, of supreme importance. A key pillar in maintaining confidence in the conduct of this parliament, its chambers and its committees is the disclosure obligations placed upon all of us. Those disclosure obligations seek to ensure that people can have confidence that each of us acts with integrity in relation to those we represent, the issues before us and the consideration of serious matters. Those disclosure obligations matter all of the time, completely; but they matter in supreme importance when it comes to sensitive committees, sensitive information and matters such as this, that can go to law enforcement operations.

As you have acknowledged, and as Senator Chisholm—who I thank for moving this motion—has acknowledged, Senator Thorpe has disclosed now, following media reports, that she was in a relationship with a known former member of the Rebels bikie gang. During that time, she was also a member of the Joint Committee on Law Enforcement. As has been reported, in August 2021 that committee concluded a review of an amendment to reinforce the legality of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission's powers to conduct special operations and investigations, which, in July 2020, established a special operation on outlaw motorcycle gangs. In its report, the committee noted that the ACIC had offered to provide detail on the importance of evidence obtained through its exercise of coercive powers in tackling serious and organised crime, including evidence taken in camera. There are clearly questions that need answering, and therefore it is most appropriate that the Standing Committee of Privileges examine whether Senator Thorpe's failure to declare the relationship obstructed the work of the Joint Committee on Law Enforcement; if so, whether this amounted to improper interference with the work of the committee; and whether any contempt was committed in this regard.

The allegations are serious ones, and the work of this committee is of paramount importance now in upholding confidence in the integrity of the parliament and of its committees. The freedom of individual members of parliament to perform their duties on behalf of the people they represent and the need for them to be seen to be free of any improper external influence are of fundamental importance. Matters such as these go directly to the central purpose of the law of parliamentary privilege, which is to protect the integrity of proceedings in parliament.

I do also note the references Senator Chisholm made to the fact that Mr Bandt equally owes some explanation for the operations within his office: when his office were advised and informed, and the failure for steps to have been taken until this became a matter of media and public interest. Those are matters that Mr Bandt should be forthcoming with, as should Senator Thorpe in her public explanations. The opposition strongly supports this referral.