9th Nov 2020, 4:14 PM – Senate Motions - National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 (No. 2) - Anti-corruption body

The majority voted in favour of a motion introduced by Queensland Senator Larissa Waters (Greens), which means it succeeded. Motions like these don't make any legal changes on their own but can be politically influential beause they represent the will of the Senate.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

(i) 9 September 2020 marked one year since the Senate passed the Australian Greens' National Integrity Commission Bill 2018 (No. 2) to establish a strong, independent Federal corruption watchdog,

(ii) polls consistently show that the majority of Australians support the establishment of a strong national anti-corruption body,

(iii) the Government has not brought the Greens' bill on for debate in the House of Representatives, and

(iv) despite public consultation ending more than 18 months ago, the Government's exposure draft Commonwealth Integrity Commission Bill fails to address many concerns raised during consultation; and

(b) further notes that an effective anti-corruption body must include the following features:

(i) broad jurisdiction to investigate corrupt conduct within the public sector,

(ii) strong investigative powers,

(iii) the ability to hold public hearings where this is in the public interest,

(iv) the ability to commence investigations independently or based on tip-offs from the public,

(v) adequate and secure funding,

(vi) the ability to publicly report outcomes of investigations and refer potential criminal matters to the Director of Public Prosecutions,

(vii) oversight by a multi-party parliamentary committee, including the appointment of commissioners, and

(viii) investigations subject to procedural fairness, and findings open to judicial review.