MARK DREYFUS
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
BUDGET CONFIRMS NO INTEGRITY COMMISSION BEFORE ELECTION
The 2021 Budget confirms the Morrison Government has no intention to establish a national anti-corruption commission.
Budget papers confirm not a single staff member has been allocated for the long-promised “Commonwealth Integrity Commission” for at least another 14 months.
https://budget.gov.au/2021-22/content/bp4/download/bp4_2021-22.pdf
It has now been two and half years since the Prime Minister promised a “Commonwealth Integrity Commission” and more than two years since Mr Morrison and then Attorney-General Christian Porter promised legislation before the end of 2019.
But over eight long years in office the Liberals have comprehensively failed to tackle corruption, leaving the Commonwealth the only Australian government without a body dedicated to tackling corruption by public officials.
Instead the Liberals make endless excuses and offer up only a draft bill for a commission so weak, so secretive and so lacking in independence that instead of exposing corruption, it would cover it up.
In the meantime, Sports Rorts, Grassgate, Angus Taylor’s documents, the Airport land rort – the ever-growing list of scandals surrounding the Morrison Government have graphically illustrated why Australia needs a powerful and independent anti-corruption commission – and why Mr Morrison and his colleagues will do everything in their power to stop it.
Labor is committed to the establishment of a powerful, transparent and independent national anti-corruption commission.
It’s long past time for Scott Morrison to stop stalling and start acting.
THURSDAY, 13 MAY 2021
