Andrew Gee (Calare, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion, and I'm very pleased to be doing so. I commend the member for Mackellar for bringing it to this House again. She has been a tireless campaigner for integrity and transparency, and I commend her on her efforts in this regard since her election to this parliament.

Jobs for mates erodes public trust and confidence in our government and our public institutions, and making political appointments to government boards has become an accepted part of Australian political life that's been going on for far too long. All of the major parties do it when they're in government, and it's time to clean this up and bring the practice to an end. As a former minister and cabinet minister, I've seen how this process works firsthand, and it's become a time honoured part of politics in Australia. There's nothing covert about it. But I think if the public knew the extent of it they would be shocked, and this has to change.

Trust is the truest test of whether our systems of governance are fit for purpose in both private and public settings. The member for Mackellar has been through the Briggs review and the need for these reforms, but I think it's very important that we note that this bill establishes a number of new key elements that bring openness, transparency and independence to the appointment process. It will introduce a public appointments commissioner to oversee the act and set up a new parliamentary joint committee on appointments to consider selections and report to the parliament on whether the committee supports the selections. This bill would also introduce a new six-month cooling-off period to prevent recent politicians or political staffers from being appointed to major public roles.

I don't think it's too much to ask that we have the most qualified people being appointed to key public positions and that there's an open, independent and transparent process around selections. If, as a nation, we are serious about restoring confidence in government, this is surely a vitally important place to start. I commend this bill to the House, and I again commend the member for Mackellar for bringing it.

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