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

I think the lack of reflection we got from the minister in that answer sums up what's wrong in the public's eye with this duopoly of secrecy between Labor and the coalition. They had a federal election and thought something was going to change. They had a federal election where, before that, we had the Prime Minister talking about transparency and pointing out the outrageous behaviour of the former government in secretly appointing ministries. We had this rhetoric from Labor in opposition, but as soon as they came in it was like they'd adopted Scott Morrison's speaking points on transparency. They were captured by office and have become almost indistinguishable from the coalition when it comes to issues of transparency, like starving the FOI system—in fact, the backlogs in the FOI system have grown under this government with an Attorney-General who railed against it when he was in opposition.

We have a prime minister who, when he was the opposition leader, talked about the need for sunlight and a national anticorruption commission that would finally address public concerns about secrecy and corruption at a federal level, only to whack through legislation under a deal with Peter Dutton that put in this ridiculous test of 'exceptional circumstances' before we can have a public hearing of the NACC. Minister, what happened between Labor in opposition, where you supported Senator Waters's bill for a national anticorruption commission that had an open discretion for public hearings, where you supported Senator Waters's bill for an open discretion allowing a national anticorruption commission to decide if it would have public hearings, and Labor getting into government and suddenly siding with Peter Dutton to put in an 'exceptional circumstances' test? Is it that, now you're in government, you no longer support sunshine and transparency? Is that what happened, Minister?