Sam Lim (Tangney, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General. Why is it important that a national anticorruption commission has strong powers?

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Tangney for his question. This week is set to be a historic week for this parliament. Australians are expecting this parliament to deliver the National Anti-Corruption Commission that they endorsed at the election. The passage of the two National Anti-Corruption Commission bills that are currently before the Senate will show that this parliament has listened and acted. The government's model for a national anticorruption commission contained in these bills is a strong watchdog with teeth. This body will have the powers of a standing royal commission. It will be able to commence investigations in its own right and accept anonymous tip-offs. It will have the ability to hold public hearings in exceptional circumstances and where it is in the public interest to do so. Importantly, the National Anti-Corruption Commission will have the necessary powers to root out corruption when it occurs. Just by doing its job it will have a strong deterrent effect on those who may engage in corrupt activity.

This is in stark contrast to the model that was promised but never delivered by the Liberal and National parties. Their proposed body did not allow for public hearings at all. It could not receive anonymous tip-offs or initiate its own inquiries, and it could only investigate matters that reached a criminal threshold. In short, it was a model that was designed not to tackle corruption at all. The Liberal and National parties' model was described by integrity experts as, 'The weakest watchdog in the country that would hide corruption and not expose it.' But the Australian people didn't buy it. They knew that those opposite would never—

Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order on relevance. You have previously directed a minister to be relevant to the question where the minister has strayed and begun talking about the record of the former government, and that's exactly what's happening here.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the point of order, I'll hear from the Leader of the House.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The question asked why it was important for the Anti-Corruption Commission to have strong powers. The record of the former government is one of the reasons.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It was a broad question. I'm going to ask the Attorney-General to focus on the question, not necessarily the former government.

Mark Dreyfus (Isaacs, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The reason why I mentioned the former government's pathetic model was that this was the contest at the last election, and the Australian people very clearly voted for the model that the Labor Party took to the election and the principles that we outlined at the election. The Australian people didn't buy the model that the Liberal and National parties had. They knew that those opposite would never a deliver a watchdog with teeth. But we will. We will do it this week. This government stands ready to deliver, and I call on the whole parliament to join us in that task.