The Green says revelations that community grants from the Building Better Regions Fund were disproportionately awarded to Coalition seats once again shows the urgent need for a federal corruption watchdog.

On Monday the Greens will lodge a concurrence motion in the Senate, which could ultimately force the House to vote on the Greens’ National Integrity Commission Bill, which passed the Senate more than two years ago.

The Greens’ model for a National Integrity Commission, which passed the Senate two years ago, has been given top marks by The Centre for Public Integrity, while the Morrison model was judged “the weakest in the country”.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“This PM’s integrity body proposal has today been given an F for flaccid.

In the wake of the NSW ICAC investigating former Premier Gladys Berejiklian, the Greens will move a concurrence motion in the next parliamentary sitting week to force the House to debate the Greens’ National Integrity Commission Bill, which the PM has refused to bring on despite the Senate passing it more than two years ago.

The Greens say evidence presented at today’s inquiry into the government’s COAG Legislation Amendment Bill shows just how far the PM has strayed from legal, constitutional and democratic norms.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“After today’s hearing no one can be left in any doubt about just how anti-democratic and dangerous the government's attempt to shield National Cabinet from scrutiny really is.

Christian Porter’s resignation from the Ministry in the face of a Greens’ no confidence motion doesn’t end the mystery donation affair, with the Greens vowing to pursue the Prime Minister over his failure to act and to renew a push in Parliament to have the Greens’ federal ICAC bill - which has already passed the Senate - brought on for debate in the House of Representatives.

The Greens say the Prime Minister should dump Christian Porter from his Ministry, and that the so-called "investigation" into whether the secret donation is a breach of Ministerial Standards is yet another delaying tactic from a government allergic to transparency and accountability.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
"It’s patently obvious that Christian Porter has breached the PM's own Ministerial Standards, and punting it to Gaetjens is clearly a delaying tactic, given his form.

The Greens say Christian Porter’s refusal to reveal who partially funded his defamation case against the ABC is the latest chapter in a sorry saga of blame-shifting and responsibility-dodging by the Morrison Government.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on women Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“This is a farce. Christian Porter’s so-called ‘disclosure’ of who paid his legal fees makes a mockery of the register of interests and donations disclosure laws, and is just another instalment in a sorry chapter for parliamentary standards.

The Greens have slammed the government for its thousand day failure to introduce a federal corruption watchdog, saying that the four-digit delay demonstrated that it couldn’t care less about taking action on corruption.

The Greens have a bill to establish a federal ICAC that has passed the Senate, and could be brought on for debate in the Lower House immediately, if the Government stopped blocking its passage. 

The PM continues to do all he can to duck transparency and accountability with new laws that would overturn a recent court decision by shielding all national cabinet deliberations from public scrutiny.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“The Morrison Government is the most secretive government in history. They eagerly relied on cabinet secrecy to hide information about Covid decisions, the ‘gas-led recovery’, the women’s safety taskforce. 

The Greens say Labor’s decision today to wave through changes to the Electoral Act that will increase membership minimums and give existing parties veto power over new rivals’ names, limits democratic participation and entrenches the two-party system.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:
 
“The Libs and Labor are running scared. They know they’re on the nose with the electorate and they know their share of the primary vote is collapsing. This is a blatant and utterly shameless attempt to shore up their power.