MARK DREYFUS
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
NO BUDGET FOR MORRISON'S NO INTEGRITY COMMISSION
Senate Estimates has confirmed that not only does Scott Morrison’s No Integrity Commission have no staff, its budget has now been effectively wiped.
This month’s Budget papers revealed not a single staff member has been allocated for the commission for at least another 14 months.
Last night’s Estimates revealed the same thing had effectively happened to its funding, with the $140 million set aside in the 2019/20 Budget now removed as a dedicated line item and hidden in the contingency reserve.
SENATOR MURRAY WATT: Can you point me to where in the Budget papers it actually has the funding that's been allocated for the integrity commission?
AGD OFFICIAL: I have to take that on notice about where it is in the Budget papers that was allocated in the 2019/20 Budget.
WATT: There must be someone who can, who has the Budget papers
AGD OFFICIAL: I'll see if one of my colleagues has that.
2ND AGD OFFICIAL: (whispering) it's in the contingency reserve it won't be shown in the Budget papers.
AGD OFFICIAL: My colleagues advise that it's in the contingency reserve, so not shown in the Budget papers.
On the same day, submissions finally made public by the Attorney-General’s Department confirmed the Morrison Government’s proposed Commonwealth “Integrity” Commission is a dud, Estimates has confirmed the commission has no staff, and now, no money.
THURSDAY, 27 MAY 2021
