Federal parliament will resume next week and the government will use the sitting period to introduce the long-promised integrity commission legislation.
abc.net.au/news/crossbenchers-raise-concerns-over-federal-anti-corruption-bill/101464476Days out from the likely release of the federal government's anti-corruption bill, some key crossbenchers are raising concerns it might not be given the level of power they are looking for.
The government says it will establish a body with "broad powers" to tackle corruption both inside and around the federal government Senator David Pocock says it is crucial the integrity commission has the power to investigate people who are not politicians The bill should adopt the definition taken on by bodies like the New South Wales ICAC, Anthony Whealy KC says Federal parliament will resume next week after a fortnight's delay due to the death of the Queen, and the government will use the sitting period to introduce the long-promised integrity commission legislation. While details around the bill remain a secret for now, the government says it would establish a body with "broad powers" to tackle corruption both inside and around the federal government. But key crossbenchers — including some the government might rely on in the Senate to support the bill — are concerned it could be hamstrung by tight definitions of who it can and cannot investigate. Independent senator David Pocock and independent MP Helen Haines both argue the commission has to be able to investigate anybody undertaking any sort of dealing with the government. It could emerge as a stumbling block as the government looks to have the bill legislated before the end of the year.In a recent speech, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus spelled out who would be covered under the government's integrity bill. "The commission will operate independently of government and will have broad jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corruption across the Commonwealth public sector," he said. "It will have the power to investigate ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, public servants, statutory office holders and contractors." Some on the crossbench want the bill to go further than that, and cover any third party involved in federal politics. ACT independent senator David Pocock says the body needs to be able to investigate people who are not politicians and bring them before the integrity commission Senator David Pocock, who could provide a critical vote for the government in the upper house, said there was no reason to limit the body's scope. "It's crucial that the integrity commission has the power to actually investigate third parties, people who aren't politicians," he said. "We know that a lot of corruption starts with people potentially getting in touch with politicians, whether they're business people, unions, developers — this body needs to be able to actually investigate them and bring them before the integrity commission." Helen Haines said while it was good that contractors would be covered by the new body, it needed to be able to capture people and businesses trying to pick up government work too. "There are others that would seek to have contracts, who may seek to have dealings with the Commonwealth, that could be potentially trying to corrupt a public process," she said.Defining corruption not a simple task The government is also being urged to adopt a very broad definition of corruption, to avoid limiting the potential work of the new body. Anthony Whealy KC, from the Centre for Public Integrity, said the bill should adopt the definition taken on by bodies like the New South Wales ICAC and other state bodies. "It doesn't matter whether it's somebody bribing an official, or offering favours to an official and actually corrupting them, or whether it's serious misleading of officials, that constitutes criminal corruption," he said. "We would like to see the broadest definition available so that third parties know they're on notice that they will be scrutinised at federal level, just as they are at state level throughout most of the states and territories."
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