With the Grattan Institute today revealing that at least one in five government board appointments are being gifted to political mates, the Greens say it’s time to talk about how political appointments are undermining democracy. 

Lines attributable to Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Democracy:

“People are fed up with the jobs-for-the-boys mentality that so typified the Morrison Government - and they want better from the Albanese Government.

The Greens say they would fast track a future Labor government’s ICAC bill through the Senate provided it was able to hold public hearings, act on anonymous tip-offs and investigate historical matters, including the shady dealings of the current Coalition front bench.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters:

“The Greens have been pushing for a national corruption watchdog for 13 years, so we welcome that Labor have said they would prioritise this in the next term of government. 

The Greens say the PM’s admission that he has no interest in legislating an effective federal corruption watchdog is the final nail in the coffin of an historically terrible government.

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters:

The Greens say the government’s decision to abandon its ICAC promise, while simultaneously trying to push through a hateful bill to protect bigotry, is proof that they never intended to establish an anti-corruption body in the first place. 

Lines attributable to Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters:

“Anyone who is surprised that the government has abandoned its promise to establish a federal integrity commission hasn’t been paying attention. It’s yet another broken promise from a PM who lies and lies.

The Greens have announced a policy to reform the political system, clean up politics, and strengthen democracy. At the end of a bruising political year where the government remained unrepentant despite scandal after scandal, it’s clear a new approach is needed to restore public confidence in democracy.

Reports that Scott Morrison will abandon his weak anti-corruption body until after the election shows that he never intended to do it in the first place.

Morrison promised that he would introduce a federal integrity commission more than 1000 days ago, but has since pulled every trick in the book to avoid meeting his commitment, and has refused to bring on the Greens bill for a strong corruption watchdog in the House despite it passing the Senate two years ago.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

The Greens say that the government’s proposed integrity body would be incapable of investigating new revelations that Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar knew that his office was using public funds to boost the power of his Liberal Party faction, and have called on the PM to bring on the Greens' gold standard National Integrity Commission Bill for a vote.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

The Green says revelations that community grants from the Building Better Regions Fund were disproportionately awarded to Coalition seats once again shows the urgent need for a federal corruption watchdog.

On Monday the Greens will lodge a concurrence motion in the Senate, which could ultimately force the House to vote on the Greens’ National Integrity Commission Bill, which passed the Senate more than two years ago.

The Greens’ model for a National Integrity Commission, which passed the Senate two years ago, has been given top marks by The Centre for Public Integrity, while the Morrison model was judged “the weakest in the country”.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“This PM’s integrity body proposal has today been given an F for flaccid.

In the wake of the NSW ICAC investigating former Premier Gladys Berejiklian, the Greens will move a concurrence motion in the next parliamentary sitting week to force the House to debate the Greens’ National Integrity Commission Bill, which the PM has refused to bring on despite the Senate passing it more than two years ago.