The purpose of the NACC is to investigate corruption and restore public trust in government institutions. Australians are watching the NACC’s performance and expect it to deliver real accountability. 

But the NACC’s first year has been shaky and concerns about lack of transparency is undermining public trust. 

Contributing to this mistrust is that the workings of the NACC have largely occurred behind closed doors, with investigations and hearings happening in private. 

For the NACC to decide to hold a public hearing, it must clear two hurdles: they must be satisfied it is in the public interest to do so and be satisfied there are exceptional circumstances to justify holding the hearing in public. 

Australians expect a robust, transparent federal integrity commission to fight corruption. So far, no cases have met the exceptional circumstances test, and no public hearings have been held. 

The exceptional circumstances test is vague and risks investigations being tied up in the courts. 

It was added to the NACC legislation in a last-minute deal between Labor and the Coalition. The test wasn’t mentioned in Labor’s design principles before the 2022 election. It most definitely wasn’t part of my own Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill. Despite warnings from legal experts, the political deal was pushed through. 

I will introduce legislation to remove the exceptional circumstances test for public hearings, so that the NACC can hold public hearings when it is in the public interest to do so. My legislation will require the Commissioner to consider factors like prejudice to a person’s reputation, privacy, safety or wellbeing to provide safeguards when deciding whether to hold a public hearing. 

These balanced and simple changes will make the NACC more transparent and ensure it operates to the highest standards of integrity. 

When public money is not spent in a way that is fair and transparent, we too often see waste, cost blowouts and communities missing out on the infrastructure they need.   

For too long the major parties have been using public money for their self-interest and political gain in a practice that rorts taxpayer funding in exchange for votes. It’s called pork barrelling, and most people agree it is a form of corruption.  

Pork barrelling is a flaw in Australia’s democracy. It takes taxpayer money away from projects that stack up on merit and where it is needed the most.  

The major parties have failed to stamp it out while the scandals keep mounting, including carparks, hospitals and sports rorts. I referred two Labor programs just last year to the National Auditor for review. 

Ending pork barrelling will stop the misuse of public money and make sure funding goes to projects that actually deserve it. 

I will work towards the Parliament passing a Bill to the standards of my Private Members Bill that requires all Commonwealth grant programs, regardless of size, to have publicly available and merit-based selection criteria and clear program guidelines that are assessed before funds are committed. 

My legislation will include robust oversight of grant administration and reporting through the Parliament and require the responsible minister to report to Parliament in a timely manner when they decide to award a grant contrary to departmental advice or in their own electorate 

When people speak out about wrongdoing, we need to have their back. 

Whistleblowers have played a huge role in Australia exposing serious wrongdoing by politicians, government agencies and corporations. They’ve revealed issues like the harmful and unlawful Robodebt scheme, elder abuse in the aged care sector, and the PwC scandal where confidential government information was used to help private clients avoid paying tax. 

Australia’s whistleblower protection laws are broken and brave people who speak up about war crimes or corruption are facing criminal charges and even prison. 

Despite acknowledging these problems, the government refuses to act. 

A Whistleblower Protection Authority is the missing piece in Australia’s integrity landscape. Supporting whistleblowers makes it harder for government and big business to get away with wrongdoing. 

A Whistleblower Protection Authority will give protection, oversight and enforcement for private and public sector whistleblowers. The Authority would provide support, information and assistance to whistleblowers. It would investigate and address complaints and help ensure fair treatment of those who speak out. 

As we all saw with the National Anti-Corruption Commission, real change happens when independents push for it. We can’t count on the major parties to deliver strong whistleblower protections; we must keep fighting to make this a reality.