Federal Labor will capitalise on the Morrison government's failure to deliver on its promise of a federal anti-corruption watchdog in the last three years by promising to deliver one by the end of 2022 if it wins the election.
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From "sports rorts" and "car park rorts" to Leppington Triangle and multi-million-dollar grants to organisations with no staff, integrity has been a consistent theme of the last parliamentary term with both sides of politics claiming to support the creation of a new watchdog.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison this week backflipped on his promise at the 2019 election to establish a federal watchdog, blaming Labor for not supporting his government's legislation that was never brought forward for a vote. He would not commit to trying again if the Coalition wins another term.
Opposition leader Anthony Albanese said a national anti-corruption commission would be one of the first priorities of his government.
"Mr Morrison has delayed and obfuscated for over three years - and then this week it became clear he has absolutely no intention of honouring his promise to deliver a National Anti-Corruption Commission at all."
Mr Albanese said the Prime Minister had questions to answer: "Why do you fear an anti-corruption commission? What is it you're afraid they will find?"
He accused the government of treated taxpayers' money like it was Liberal Party money.
Labor will launch a new election ad tomorrow accusing the Liberal party of "bringing pork barrelling to new levels" and claims the promise of a federal integrity commission "was just another Morrison porkie".
Mark Dreyfus, the shadow attorney general, would assume responsibility for legislating the anti-corruption body.
"Australians have seen right through Mr Morrison - they know he has no intention of cleaning up his rotten government and no interest in integrity whatsoever," Mr Dreyfus said.
"We will restore trust and transparency to government - and Labor honours our promises."
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Mr Dreyfus has not produced its own legislative model, but has helped bring on debate on an alternative to the government's model, introduced in 2020 by independent MP Helen Haines.
The Haines model differed from the government's by allowing the watchdog to receive anonymous complaints, self-initiate investigations, hold public hearings for investigations of MPs, and make findings of fact that do not amount to a criminal charge.
These were features shared with the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption, which Mr Morrison this week described as a "kangaroo court".
The Prime Minister said the NSW ICAC, which has brought down multiple premiers including Gladys Berejiklian, "destroyed" lives and "seems to operate through politics and shaming people" without proper process.
"I'm not going to introduce a Kangaroo Court," he told reporters on Thursday.
"I'm not going to introduce a policy that I don't think is in the nation's best interests and how it would be corrupted by a Labor Party that's more interested in playing politics with this issue than addressing the real issues."
Mr Morrison said he'd "honoured his proposal" from the last election and that was where the issue rests.
New independent hopefuls like Zoe Daniel in Goldstein and Allegra Spender in Wentworth are supporting the Haines bill and say it's a priority for a commission to have strong powers.
"My job would be to represent their views - that creates a pretty difficult position, doesn't it, if the government is deliberately going against what the population wants," Ms Daniel said.
The former ABC journalist is calling for a code of conduct for politicians, registration of lobbyists, greater transparency around political donations, truth in political advertising and increased whistleblower protection as part of an integrity system.
The practice of pork-barrelling was also one where community views have shifted, she said.
"The penny has really dropped with a lot of people that that is a form of corruption. People want transparency around the use of taxpayers money and to know that money is being used for the common good rather than for political gain."
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Ms Spender said integrity was the second most-raised issue in Wentworth after climate.
"There is a deep concern both major parties are making decisions with taxpayer money in the interests of parties or vested interests, rather than interests of the community," Ms Spender said.
"One of my top priorities is passing a federal integrity commission with teeth."
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie seized on the Prime Minister's statement on Thursday.
"The Prime Minister's refusal to commit to an effective federal integrity agency is an outrageous failure of leadership," he said.
"Clearly this government is scared stiff of ever being scrutinised, and to somehow blame the lack of any progress on an integrity agency on his political opponents would be laughable if the matter wasn't so terribly serious."
Every state and territory has an anti-corruption commission. Only the federal government, which has the largest public expenditure, does not.