TRANSCRIPT DOORSTOP INTERVIEW 26 September 2022

TRANSCRIPT

DOORSTOP INTERVIEW

26 September 2022

Subject/s: Ministerial Code, National Anti-Corruption Commission, Standing Orders

FLETCHER: I just want to make some comments, firstly about the ministerial code, the Prime Minister’s ministerial code, the Prime Minister said that there would be strict compliance with the ministerial code, in fact we already know that’s not true, there are three ministers who admitted to holding shares while the code has a strict prohibition on holding shares. The code came into effect on 8 July, three ministers, Kristy McBain, Bill Shorten and Tim Ayres, in their declaration of interests revealed they held shares. Their declarations were filed 24 and 26 August, so it took the best part of two months, and they were not compliant with the code. So the Prime Minister has said there would be a strict compliance with his code, and that has clearly not been the case. What we also now know is the Assistant Minister for Health Ged Kearney held managed funds, which in turn held significant shareholdings in businesses in the health sector, including for example, CSL, Ramsay Health Care, and others. When the opposition asked about that on the last question time 8 September, the Prime Minister’s answer was ‘oh well Minister Kearney has disposed of those interests’. So we need to know more about that, is that an admission that in fact holding those managed funds was also a breach of the code of interests. Interestingly just the night before, Minister Mark Butler was on Sky defending that, the next day the Prime Minister told the House of Representatives, told question time that Minister Ged Kearney had been disposed of those managed funds. So again questions about whether there is compliance with the ministerial code. Of course, one of the other issues this week will be the introduction of the legislation in relation to the national anti-corruption commission. The opposition of course has been clear, that we support an anti-corruption commission, but we need to see the detail and work through the detail. There’s a lot of issues of detail to work through. One thing I am very concerned about as Manager of Opposition Business is ensuring that we don’t see the Labor Government using new gag procedures that they’ve given themselves. The new gag powers to rush this bill through the House without it being properly debated. This is an important issue that needs to be properly debated, there are a lot of issues to work through as Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton and Shadow Attorney General Julian Leeser have made clear, so its very important that we don’t see the Labor Government using their gag powers which they gave themselves in changes of standing orders shortly after the new Parliament convened, that they don’t use those gag powers to rush through this legislation, rush it through the House of Representatives in relation to the national anti-corruption commission, there’s a lot of matters that need to be thoroughly and carefully debated and investigated and scrutinised, parliament needs to be allowed to do its work. Thanks very much.