Scott Morrison Says It’s Not in the ‘Nation’s Best Interests’ To Establish an Anti-Corruption Watchdog

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has all but dumped plans to bring a federal anti-corruption commission to life, as promised, saying it would not be “in the national interest” to establish something he thinks would succumb to messy politics. 

The election promise, made by Morrison back in 2019, resurfaced on the campaign trail again on Wednesday, when the Prime Minister defended his government’s failure to establish an anti-corruption watchdog over the course of the last three years. 

He blamed the Labor Party for not throwing its support behind a heavily criticised piece of legislation drafted by the Coalition (which is not the same as introducing finished legislation). Legal experts broadly described the Coalition’s draft as too “weak.”

Asked again at a press conference on Thursday, the Prime Minister doubled down and suggested a federal anti-corruption commission wouldn’t be in the national interest, anyway. 

“I am not going to introduce a policy that I don’t think is in the nation’s best interests, and how it would be corrupted by a Labor Party that’s more interested in playing politics with this issue than addressing the real issues,” Morrison said.

He went on to label the NSW state anti-corruption watchdog, which is currently investigating former premier Gladys Berejiklian for allegedly funnelling money into her former lover’s political pockets, a “kangaroo court” that causes “damage”. 

“I have lived with that in New South Wales. I have seen the lives destroyed by a commission such as that which becomes a kangaroo court and goes around and seems to operate through politics and shaming people and the proper process that should go to those important issues being properly considered,” he said. 

But if he really wanted to, Morrison could honour his 2019 election promise.

All he would have to do is introduce legislation into parliament for debate, without giving thought to what his opposition might make of it. 

Should that be the case, though, Morrison would eventually need Labor’s support, because he doesn’t have enough numbers to get a bill – of any kind, really – through the lower house. 

The issue has become a source of infighting within his own party, which on both a state and federal level has broadly supported the introduction of a federal anti-corruption watchdog. 

One of the more outspoken proponents has been Tasmanian Liberal MP, Bridget Archer, who late last year crossed the floor (or, moved to debate against her own party) in support of a federal integrity commission. 

Archer joined Morrison on Thursday, when he appeared in her hometown as part of a campaign stop being used to spruik a new $219 million election policy aimed at the state’s forestry industry. She wasn’t spared when it came to questions about an anti-corruption watchdog, given her track record on the issue.

 Just four months ago, Archer said she was “perplexed” by the Morrison government’s sluggishness on the issue. Standing beside Morrison on Thursday, however, she was resistantly vague, and even supportive.

“I have spoken on this several times and made the view that all sides of politics agree that we should have some sort of national integrity body,” Archer said. 

“The disagreement comes on what that should look like. The Prime Minister is quite right. Nothing will move forward until the politics is taken out. I have said that all the way along,” she said. 

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