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.

The Coalition is using the Federal Budget to silence public accountability and transparency bodies that have called out this Government’s corruption, Greens Leader in the Senate and Spokesperson for Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters said.

“Once again, this corrupt Government is doing all it can to avoid public scrutiny, this time using the Budget to cut funding to our accountability and transparency bodies,” Senator Waters said.

The Morrison government still refuses to call the Greens bill to establish a federal corruption watchdog on for a vote, one year after it passed the Senate.
 
Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said time was up on the Coalition’s excuses.
 
“The Senate passed the Greens bill for a federal corruption watchdog one year ago today; so why are we still waiting?” Senator Waters said.
 
“Maybe it’s because the Morrison government is up to its eyeballs in dodgy deals for mates and pork barrelling. 
 

The Greens are calling on the Prime Minister to stand down Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar while the Department of Finance investigates the misuse of taxpayer-funded positions, and to consider whether Sukkar’s actions are in breach of the Ministerial Standards.
 
“The Prime Minister has asked Australians for their trust over the past few months. But Morrison continues to throw integrity overboard with his failure to act on the ongoing, multiple scandals involving his ministers,” Greens co-Deputy leader, Senator Larissa Waters, said.
 

Responding to today's reported deferral of legislation to enable a federal integrity commission, the Greens will push to bring on for debate and vote legislation to establish a national anti-corruption watchdog when Parliament resumes in June.

A Greens integrity commission bill has already passed the Senate with support from Labor and the crossbench and could pass the House if as few as two backbench government MPs cross the floor, as they have threatened to do. The Bill passed in September of last year.

Greens Leader Adam Bandt has pledged to fight the government’s gas push laid out in the Technology Road Map Discussion Paper released by the government today.

Mr Bandt also said the leaked COVID Commission push for a gas-rush shows the corruption of process the government is using to develop a plan for manufacturing.

“We need to be ending Australia’s addiction to toxic methane gas not feeding it,” Mr Bandt said.

“Coal, oil and gas are the primary cause of the climate crisis. We can't solve the climate emergency and economic crisis by pouring gas on the fire.”

The long-overdue resignation of the ministry by Bridget McKenzie leaves unanswered questions about the Sports Rorts scandal and does not address underlying integrity issues with the Morrison Government, according to the Greens.

Co-deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters and spokesperson on sport Senator Janet Rice said the Prime Minister will try and draw a line under this sports rorts scandal after Bridget McKenzie’s resignation but the announcement today does not stop the rot.

Quotes attributable to Senator Larissa Waters:

The Australian Greens have responded to Scott Morrison’s appalling decision to allow Minister Angus Taylor to continue serving in his role while under active police investigation, saying that it shows the Prime Minister is deep in denial.

Quote attributable to Greens spokesperson for the climate crisis and energy, Adam Bandt MP:

“Scott Morrison is deep in denial.

“The PM has thrown integrity overboard to hang on to a 1 seat majority on the floor of Parliament.

The introduction of the Greens Parliamentary Standards Bill in the Senate today will be a strong test of whether Labor and the Liberals genuinely want to stamp out corruption and restore public trust in democracy.

The bill creates a binding, independently enforced code of conduct for all Federal politicians and staff.

The Australian community’s trust in politicians and government has plummeted to 31 per cent, with less than a quarter of the community expressing trust in Federal Ministers and MPs [1].

The Greens have welcomed the report from the ministerial integrity inquiry that recommends the re-investigation of Christopher Pyne and Julie Bishop’s conduct and highlights the weakness of current Ministerial Standards.

Greens Co-Deputy Leader and Democracy spokesperson Larissa Waters said the community was fed up with recent Ministerial conflict-of-interest scandals and the revolving door between Ministers, politicians and lobby groups, including mining and gambling interests.