Greens Leader Bob Brown will move for the Senate Economics References Committee to enquire into allegations of impropriety by Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiaries Securency and Note Printing Australia when sittings resume on 26 October.
Senator Brown's motion will read:
That the following matters be referred to the Senate Economics References Committee for inquiry and report by 26 November.
Regarding the Reserve Bank of Australia subsidiaries Note Printing Australia and Securency:
a. Allegations of payments to overseas agents into offshore tax havens and corruption in securing note printing contracts and what the Reserve Bank, Austrade and the Australian Government knew about the alleged behaviour.
b. What due diligence was applied and what investigations were conducted into the allegations.
c. What action has been taken to press charges against past and
existing overseas agents?
d. What action has been taken to prevent improper dealings occurring again.
e. Any related matters.
The move follows allegations in The Age newspaper which include million-dollar payments, tax havens, and a claim by an English businessman that he would have no further dealings with Securency until its senior managers were sacked, or resigned.
"While the Australian Federal Police are investigating serious allegations of corruption involving the company's activities in Africa and elsewhere, the serious questions of corporate governance involving senior members of the Reserve Bank should be dealt with and the air cleared," Senator Brown said.
"I expect neither the government nor coalition will oppose this inquiry," Senator Brown ad