Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That, in the opinion of the Senate, the following is a matter of urgency:

The need for the Senate to condemn the Premier of Victoria, Dan Andrews, for his office's dealings and association with Glenn Druery who, it was reported this morning, admitted to using his position in a Senator's office for personal financial gain; and—in light of revelations upper house group voting tickets are being used to mislead voters to the unethical benefit of the Andrews Labor Government—to affirm the Senate's support for free and fair elections with integrity.

I rise to ask the Senate to affirm its support for free and fair elections which accurately reflects the intention of Australian voters. Prior to the 2016 federal election the Senate amended federal electoral laws to ensure voters retained control of their preferences. The result in 2016 was a Senate with a strong crossbench that the Australian people wanted. This followed previous Senate election outcomes which defied public expectations. Those outcomes had Glenn Druery's name all over them. We all know who this man is and how he has made his name over the years as a so-called 'preference whisperer'. In the past week, reports on the Herald Sun newspaper have served to remind us of his talent and of the need to always be vigilant in the defence of free and fair elections.

It hasn't been the best week for Glenn Druery, I can tell you. He has been recorded admitting that he has worked with the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, to deliver a crossbench Labor can work with. He is on the record as saying that he manipulates upper house group-voting tickets to mislead Victorian voters and direct their preferences to left-leaning minor party candidates, all in an effort to keep Premier Andrews in power. He even admits to creating a fake party, the 'Restore Democracy Sack Dan Andrews Party' in his efforts to mislead voters.

The Victorian Premier initially denied any involvement, but it's been confirmed that Mr Druery has been working closely with his office in the lead-up to this year's state election. It's telling that the Premier has resisted many calls to reform Victorian electoral laws and to get rid of the upper house group-voting tickets. Now we know why. Premier Andrews has well and truly been a law unto himself. He has led the most unaccountable government in the history of Victoria, with a long list of scandals, IBAC referrals and political scalps under his watch: branch stacking, the botched hotel quarantine program, fire services reform, printing rorts, misuse of parliamentary allowances in the red shirts affair, country member allowances claimed by city-based MPs, taxpayers billed for chauffeuring dogs and MPs bullying their staff, not to forget the collision with a cyclist.

Today there are more revelations, with a recording of Mr Druery saying he used his position on the staff of former senator Derryn Hinch for personal financial gain, acting on privileged foreknowledge of the financial services royal commission to sell his bank shares. This is in direct contravention of the law. That he may well have broken the law for personal gain is an important matter that should be investigated; of greater importance is that Australian voters have confidence in their votes, support candidates they want to support and have confidence in the accuracy and integrity of democratic elections. To Victorian voters I say this: vote below the line in the upper house to make sure your preferences are directed to where you want them. The only safe vote above the line is One Nation. We are not part of Mr Druery's cohort of fake parties, and you can be confident your preferences will remain with conservative candidates and like-minded parties.

One Nation Victoria has also pledged to undertake electoral reform so that in the future Victorians can have confidence in the outcome. Failure to ensure election integrity is a betrayal of the Australian people's trust, and since this is a function of law, it is up to us lawmakers to meet this expectation. One Nation has been very active in this space, introducing legislation to this effect last year, and I commend my colleague Senator Roberts for his diligent efforts to protect and enhance election integrity. So I ask the Senate to stand in condemnation of Premier Daniel Andrews for being associated with this manipulation of the system to mislead voters. I ask the Senate to stand in defence of free and fair elections which reflect the intent of the Australian people and which strengthen their faith in the principles and institutions of Australian democracy.