11th Sep 2018, 3:46 PM – Senate Motions - National Independent Commission Against Corruption - Create

The majority voted against a motion introduced by Greens Senator Larissa Waters, which means it failed.

Motion text

That the Senate—

(a) recognises:

(i) the notion that the Federal Government is less prone to corruption than its counterparts is not supported by evidence,

(ii) that the potential risks for corruption at a national level have increased significantly in recent years due to several factors including, but not limited to, increased government control of information, increased funding needs of political campaigns and the growth of the lobbying industry,

(iii) that these risks are not currently being adequately mitigated through offence provisions, public sector standards or supervision by various regulatory bodies, and

(iv) that, in the most recent Corruption Perceptions Index, Australia was ranked 13th out of 168 countries;

(b) notes that:

(i) a national independent commission against corruption should be established,

(ii) this independent commission should be called the National Independent Commission Against Corruption (NICAC), and

(iii) NICAC should follow the recommendations of Griffith University, namely, that the national commission act as a peak body through which all Commonwealth integrity and corruption complaints can be lodged; and

(c) calls on the Federal Government to begin the implementation of NICAC as soon as possible, so that all Australians can have confidence in the integrity of their Parliament, government and public institutions.