2022-05-05
Media release
Greens Leader Adam Bandt today launched the NSW Senate campaign for David Shoebridge with the commitment that the Greens will introduce a bill to create a Federal ICAC within the first two weeks of a new parliament.
The Greens know that Australians can’t wait to see a clean and effective government that works for their best interests instead of doing favours for billionaires and big corporations.
Over more than a decade in NSW Parliament David Shoebridge exposed extensive pork-barrelling and revealed how government grants were open to fraud. He has collaborated with a diverse group of crossbenchers to improve transparency and shine a light on grubby deals in state politics.
David Shoebridge is excited to join the Australian Greens team in Canberra and use the Greens’ balance of power in the senate to establish a strong and independent National Integrity Commission.
The Greens ‘gold-standard’ plan to hold politicians and public servants to account and to stop big corporations and the super rich from buying political favours already has the backing of the Centre for Public Integrity and includes full retrospective powers to review the last ten years of dodgy grants and pork-barreling.
The Greens model for a federal ICAC introduced by Larissa Waters in the Senate won the support of all independents, Labor and even One Nation, passing the upper house in the last term of Parliament.
The Greens have been pushing for a federal ICAC longer than any other party in Parliament. Earlier this election the Greens launched a comprehensive plan to Clean Up Politics.
Quotes attributable to Greens Leader, Adam Bandt
“David Shoebridge has a strong track record of holding Premiers and senior Ministers to account in the NSW Parliament and we can’t wait for him to join our team in the federal parliament.
“We are making this commitment now so people know that a vote for the Greens is a vote for a federal corruption watchdog in place in a matter of months.
“The Greens have been pushing for a federal ICAC longer than any other party in parliament and with David Shoebridge joining us in balance of power in the Senate, we’ll make it happen.”
Quotes attributable to Greens NSW Senate Candidate David Shoebridge
“Before the next government spends a cent of public money we need to have a fully resourced and independent national integrity commission in place.
“After more than a decade of delay since the Australian Greens brought the first Bill for a national ICAC in 2010 we can’t wait until Christmas for Labor to make up its mind. This is core business for the Greens.
“In my time in the NSW Parliament I have seen first hand how critical an independent ICAC is to maintaining public confidence in our democracy and holding even the most powerful politicians to account.
“The Greens will use the balance of power to bring a comprehensive National ICAC to the floor of Parliament in the first two weeks of the next Parliament.
“We can commit to this because the Greens have already taken a bill for a powerful national integrity commission through the Senate in 2019.
“The legislation is ready to go from the start of the next Parliament, the only thing missing is political will, and we can get that with strong support for the Greens in the balance of power,” Mr Shoebridge said.