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Finally, after two years of delay and eleven months with the bill sitting on his desk, the Attorney-General has released his exposure legislation for the Commonwealth Integrity Commission.
My reaction.
My reaction.
It's surely no coincidence that this comes just 7 days after I introduced my Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill 2020 into Parliament. There's no doubt my Bill has forced the Government’s hand and I am pleased that at last they have realised the time for delay is over.
Today’s release is also clearly the result of pressure from inside the Government’s own party room and from the Australian public sick of scandals and sick of excuses.
This is a victory for public scrutiny and accountability in an integrity vacuum.
This is a victory for public scrutiny and accountability in an integrity vacuum.
I've always said that I'd evaluate any bill for an Integrity Commission against the 5 Beechworth Principles: broad jurisdiction, common rules, fair hearings, appropriate powers and accountability to the people. So over coming days I'll review the bill against these Principles.
But I am deeply alarmed that the draft legislation published today appears to be the same weak model that the Government served up two years ago, and is inadequate in several fundamental respects.
Unlike a Royal Commission, the CIC’s public sector division, covering 80% of the public service, cannot hold public hearings. It is therefore clearly misleading for the Attorney-General to claim the CIC has “more powers than a Royal Commission”.
The CIC's public sector division would also only be able to investigate behaviour that constitutes a criminal offence, meaning it would have no jurisdiction over cases of non-criminal corruption and wrongdoing.
These deficiencies will cause alarm among millions of decent Australians, and many members of the Government’s own party room. And a model like this would be ineffectual against the scandals we have seen over the last fortnight. Australians deserve better than that.
The Government has today been dragged to the table on releasing this bill. And they will need to be dragged to the table on making it robust.
But this is what Australians are demanding.
But this is what Australians are demanding.
