Is a Federal ICAC enough?

Is a Federal ICAC enough to restore integrity and accountability to politics?

Every state has an Independent Commission Against Corruption! It is imperative that we have a Federal ICAC!  But is it enough?  I don’t believe so, and neither does the Reason Party. 

To rebuild trust in our political system many Australians are calling for greater integrity, transparency, and accountability. The ABC’s Vote Compass, (with 174,000 respondents) found that half of Australians (49%) think corruption is a big problem, and 36% that it is "somewhat of a problem" – that’s 85% of voters who believe this is a serious problem, Only 1% think it’s not a problem at all. 

How have the major parties addressed the call for a Federal ICAC? After Scott Morrison promised to introduce an ICAC in his 2019 election campaign, the Liberals drafted one, but it was never brought to the house for a robust debate.  It was widely seen to have many weaknesses a major one being exclusions for politicians.

The Labor party also drafted a plan which appears to be better, but the Liberals wanted nothing to do with it. Meanwhile Helen Haines, an independent, worked collaboratively to build a strong Private Members Bill for an Australian Public Integrity Commission.  But the Liberals in parliament led by Scott Morrison and his team ensured it was never tabled. 

In April 2022, Scott Morrison has added the Federal ICAC to his long list of promises not kept. To fix the problem we need to address the full range of issues that have undermined our trust in politics.

Firstly, the acceptance of lies.  Some of these areas are truth in political advertising, use of parliamentary privilege to proclaim unfounded claims and promises of support not fulfilled.  To build Australian trust, the acceptability of lies must stop.

Secondly, the workplace standards.  Parliament House is a workplace and as such must be made safe for those that work there.  In the last three years there have been a number of incidents including rape, harassment and sexual encounters within the workplace. Some of these incidents have been fuelled by alcohol which is too readily available. In other cases, parliamentarians obviously affected by alcohol are not removed from the chamber.

Thirdly, the appointment of personnel “mates over merit’, overriding the agreed tender process – such as the recent  appointment and extensions of members on the board of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Another concern is the management of outsourcing contracts, such as the outsourcing of Aged Care, Childcare and management of the NDIS.

I believe a strong Federal ICAC such as that proposed by Helen Haines MP is necessary but not sufficient.  Unless the other issues of workplace behaviour, a requirement for truth and clear accountability we will continue to be becoming more corrupt as a nation.

Any government formed after the election must implement all recommendations of Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins ‘Set the Standard’ report on working conditions in the Federal Parliament.

They must also:

·      Establish clear and consistent standards of conduct for both parliamentarians and their staff, that reflect the behaviour voters expect, and that carry consequences for breaches

·      Make Ministerial diaries publicly available

·      Mandatory three year cooling off period between politicians having decision making powers in an industry then getting jobs in that same industry

·      Legislate to protect whistleblowers and others who expose wrongdoing

·      Reform the lobbying industry

Like most Australians, I want Australia to be a country that others aspire to emulate, with standards we can be proud of on the world stage. Not one which continues to fall in position in almost every metric measured by the OECD.