MEDIA RELEASE - PARLIAMENTARY ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY FALLING UNDER LABOR

“Halfway through the year, the pattern is clear: Parliamentary accountability and transparency is falling under Labor,” Manager of Opposition Business in the House of Representatives, Paul Fletcher MP said today.

“Mr Albanese said he wanted to govern differently; Leader of the House Tony Burke told the National Press Club Labor would take a ‘different approach’ to the Parliament.

“Labor’s approach to accountability and scrutiny certainly has been different from the Morrison Government’s approach – it has been much worse.

“In the final two sitting weeks, the Opposition asked detailed questions about how the Voice would work and about what Senator Gallagher knew before The Project broadcast serious allegations in early 2021.

“Labor has ducked, weaved, obfuscated and deflected – and consistently failed to give clear factual answers.

“The troubling reality is that Labor has shown contempt for the processes of parliamentary accountability and scrutiny. Bill Shorten, when pressed on why he had consistently failed to provide answers to written questions (questions on notice) said in Parliament these questions were distracting him from doing his job as a Minister.”

Some lowlights of Labor’s approach to Parliament in the first half of 2023 include:

• The Minister for Indigenous Australians was asked 20 questions about the Voice and repeatedly failed to provide detailed information in her answers.
• The Government used tricky tactics and points of order in the House to avoid answering legitimate questions about what Senator Gallagher knew before The Project broadcast serious allegations in early 2021.
• In the second last week, the Prime Minister only allowed 18 questions from the Opposition during Question Time over three sitting days. (By contrast, in the final three day sitting period of the Morrison Government there were 25 questions from the Opposition.)
• More than forty per cent of question times were shut down by the Prime Minister before 3.15 pm (15 out of 37 question times)
• Multiple Ministers failed to attend the post Budget Consideration in Detail debate for their portfolio
• Multiple Questions in Writing formally lodged in the House have remained unanswered for more than 60 days.

ENDS