AAP
Labor veteran John Faulkner has called for an historic overhaul of anti-corruption and ethics measures to improve the integrity of government, MPs and political parties.
Senator Faulkner says community cynicism about a lack of integrity in politics is "corrosive of democracy".
"The electoral process is devalued when citizens have no faith in government integrity, because the choice between competing policies and programs is meaningless when there is no expectation such policies will be carried out," Senator Faulkner said in a speech to the University of Melbourne Law School on Tuesday.
He said to restore integrity, the government needed to finalise its national anti-corruption plan as well as public- and private-sector whistleblower protection schemes.
"People inside organisations are often in the best position to be the first to know something is wrong, and their actions in raising the alarm can stop a problem before it becomes a crisis," he said.
"They should not have to risk their careers or their mental and physical health, just to do the right thing."
The current provisions relating to whistleblowing in the Commonwealth Public Service Act were "limited and inadequate", he said, and new laws were needed before the 2013 election.
The former minister said federal MPs needed to "get serious" about a code of conduct.
A code, for both members and senators, should be drafted by a joint select committee and accompanied by a parliamentary integrity commissioner.
A motion by independent MP Rob Oakeshott on a code of conduct passed the lower house last week, but it did not cover senators and failed to get the approval of the coalition.
Senator Faulkner pointed to the current corruption inquiry in NSW which has unearthed serious allegations that some Labor figures had failed the morality test.
The NSW branch of the Labor Party should impose a "one strike and you're out" policy for any Labor member found guilty of acting corruptly.
"A culture has developed in the NSW branch where, for some, being caught out at sharp practices is worn almost as a badge of honour. Our party would be immeasurably better off without such people," Senator Faulkner said.
Electoral funding reform would ensure that voters are not left wondering whether decisions are being based on political donations rather than the public interest.
"The spiralling cost of electioneering has created a campaigning 'arms race' - heightening the pressure on political parties and opening the door to the buying and selling of access and influence," he said.
He said a $1000 threshold for the disclosure of donations, a ban on anonymous and foreign donations and measures to avoid donation splitting between different branches of political parties were needed.
And given that political parties receive public funding for each primary vote cast, which amounted to $53 million in 2010, the parties should agree to "minimum standards of openness, transparency, and democratic process" before they received this money.
Asked whether ALP members guilty of corruption should be automatically expelled, Finance Minister Penny Wong said: "Absolutely".
Senator Wong declined to say whether new disclosure laws for political donations would be in place before the 2013 election.
"I would say we've got a pretty good record in terms of increasing transparency and disclosure," she told Sky News on Tuesday.
No comments:
Post a Comment