Australia News

Anti-corruption commission debate to continue despite Queen’s death

Eliza Sayon Sep 14, 2022

2 min read

Any delays to the legislating of a federal anti-corruption commission following the Queen’s death will not rest at Labor’s feet, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says.

The Australian Government’s long-awaited proposal for an anti-corruption watchdog was due to be presented this week but parliament was suspended following the death of the monarch.

Instead, parliament will meet at the end of September and Labor will be ready to vote on the bill immediately.

“I am confident at least 77 members of the House of Representatives will vote for that legislation, they’re the Labor members,” the Prime Minister said.

“We are ready to vote for it in September. If there is any delay, it won’t be because of the Labor Party.”

The legislation has been through cabinet and will go to the Labor caucus when it meets on September 27 before being introduced to parliament.

It will then be referred to a committee involving MPs and senators from the government, opposition and crossbench for an inquiry.

While the Prime Minister is confident a commission will be legislated by the end of the year, several independent MPs are worried they will not have the time to consider the proposal properly.

Independent member Dr Helen Haines, a fierce advocate for a national anti-corruption commission, said the government must allow adequate time for the parliament to scrutinise the legislation.

Dr Haines said she would work to ensure there were no further delays.

“It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get the best integrity model possible and the most important thing is that parliament works constructively to get it right,” she said.

Fellow crossbencher Zoe Daniel called on the government to release its proposed watchdog model to speed up its passing through parliament.

“The attorney-general could help stick to the timetable if he would make the legislation public right now, enabling consultation to be more informed and expedited,” she said.

Opposition frontbencher Stuart Robert said the coalition – having gone to the election with a different model of integrity body – was open to “constructive debate” on the bill.

“There is always room to talk it through,” he said.

“We’re looking forward to a wide-ranging discussion on transparency and integrity.”

Independent senator David Pocock, who holds a key vote in the upper house, is keen to see the bill before parliament returns.

Another crossbench senator, Jacqui Lambie, has no problem with a delay to the bill if the legislation can be improved.

“You can’t eat a half-cooked chook. It’s got to be fully baked,” she stated.

With AAP

Eliza Sayon

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Eliza is a content producer and editor at Public Spectrum. She is an experienced writer on topics related to the government and to the public, as well as stories that uplift and improve the community.