Gladys Berejiklian’s resignation shows Australia should NOT have national anti-corruption watchdog

Scott Morrison has pointed to the fall of Gladys Berejiklian as a reason not to let a NSW-style anti-corruption commission investigate federal politicians.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is investigating the former state premier for potential breaches of public trust linked to her secret five-year relationship with former Liberal MP Daryl Maguire.

Ms Berejiklian’s resignation from the leadership and NSW parliament has renewed calls by federal Labor, the Greens and independents for a national corruption-fighting body.

But the prime minister is among those in the coalition who think this is a reason not to have a NSW-style ICAC.

‘It’s certainly not a model that we’d ever consider at a federal level and I think that’s been on display for some time,’ Mr Morrison told the Seven Network on Tuesday.

‘You’ve got to have processes that assume people are innocent before they are thought to be guilty.

‘I’m sure there are millions of people who are seeing what’s happened to Gladys Berejiklian and understand that’s a pretty good call not to follow that model.’

Attorney-General Michaelia Cash is working through the findings of public consultations ahead of a bill slated for introduction to parliament before the end of the year.

Senator Cash’s assistant minister Amanda Stoker accused the NSW ICAC of destroying politicians’ lives and careers.

‘Its broad sweeping powers of inquisition and compulsion have seen lives destroyed over trivialities, careers ended over investigations that have gone nowhere,’ she told ABC radio.

‘We need to also ask who’s going to watch these all-powerful armies of lawyers who are able to hide under the veil of independence.’

Senator Stoker dismissed criticism the government has been sitting on legislation for a national anti-corruption body.

‘We are really keen to get this done and to get it done in a way that made sure we get all the advantages of having an integrity body and avoid the pitfalls of those bodies that, I would suggest, have become almost rogue in the way that they operate.’

The prime minister is among those in the coalition who think this is a reason not to have a NSW-style ICAC

Labor has promised a national anti-corruption body that would operate as a standing royal commission into serious and systemic corruption among the federal government.

It would have a broad jurisdiction to investigate and hold to account federal ministers, public servants, statutory office holders, government agencies, parliamentarians, personal staff of politicians and other commonwealth public officials.

Shadow attorney-general Mark Dreyfus wants the commission to be retrospective and thinks the government’s proposal is far too limited.

‘We think it should be able to receive complaints from any source, to be able to receive referrals from any source. It shouldn’t be limited,’ he said.

‘It should be broadly based and if it determines that there’s a matter of serious and systemic corruption it’s got to have the powers to go on and investigate.’