David Shoebridge (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

tor SHOEBRIDGE () (): I move amendment (1) on sheet 1730:

(1) Clause 3, page 3 (line 7), at the end of clause, add:

; (e) to establish an independent National Anti-Corruption Commission.

This amendment, if accepted, would fill a gap in the bill. The bill as proposed, in its principles and objects, does not contain one key statement of principle, which is that we are establishing an independent national anticorruption commission. We heard in the committee, from witnesses very familiar with the New South Wales commission, that that clear statement of intent in the objects of the bill, stating unambiguously that we are establishing an independent national anticorruption commission, will be important, because, if there is any ambiguity about how the act should operate, and it faces legal challenge, one of the first things a court will do is go back to the objects and say, 'What was parliament trying to establish here?' Surely we can unite on this and say that one of the key objects of this bill is to establish an independent national anticorruption commission. For those reasons, I commend the amendment to the house.