The Greens say today’s move by the Coalition and Labor to reaffirm their dodgy deal to permanently axe Senate motions represents one more nail in the coffin for democracy and transparency.

The decision makes permanent the temporary arrangement between the Liberals and Labor in June which eliminated motions that ask the Senate to form an opinion, replacing them with two-minute statements.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

Labor has signed on to the government’s anti-democracy agenda by voting for new legislation designed to silence critical voices from the nonprofit sector.

The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Political Campaigner) Bill was rammed through the Senate tonight without debate and without going to inquiry, passing after a dirty deal between Labor and the Liberals. 

Reports that Scott Morrison will abandon his weak anti-corruption body until after the election shows that he never intended to do it in the first place.

Morrison promised that he would introduce a federal integrity commission more than 1000 days ago, but has since pulled every trick in the book to avoid meeting his commitment, and has refused to bring on the Greens bill for a strong corruption watchdog in the House despite it passing the Senate two years ago.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

The Greens say that the government’s proposed integrity body would be incapable of investigating new revelations that Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar knew that his office was using public funds to boost the power of his Liberal Party faction, and have called on the PM to bring on the Greens' gold standard National Integrity Commission Bill for a vote.

Greens deputy leader and spokesperson on democracy Senator Larissa Waters said:

The Greens say the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Voter Integrity) Bill 2021, introduced to parliament today, is more cynical Morrison Government politicking that will make our elections less democratic.

Greens deputy leader and democracy spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said:

“These laws are pure politics, designed to fix a fictional problem dreamed up in the fevered imaginations of the most extreme right wing fantasists.

The Greens say proposed voter identification laws are a solution in search of a problem that will only serve to disenfranchise voters who are already largely excluded from the political process.

The mooted laws, which have long been championed by the far right, could wrongly exclude eligible voters, including First Nations voters, young voters, homeless or itinerant voters, and voters escaping domestic violence.

Greens deputy leader and democracy spokesperson Senator Larissa Waters said:

It's true: a day can be a long time in politics. Friday 1 October was a long day for the then Premier Gladys Berejiklian, who resigned from her position as the first woman ever elected Premier of New South Wales when it was revealed that the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption would investigate her. We've had similar days before in New South Wales politics. Liberal Premier Barry O'Farrell resigned a day after giving evidence to ICAC in April 2014 about that bottle of Grange.

On Thursday the Senate will vote on a motion that could force the PM to bring the Greens’ National Integrity Commission Bill on for debate in the House.

The Greens have today lodged a concurrence motion in the Senate which, if passed, could ultimately force the House to vote on the Greens’ bill, which passed the Senate more than two years ago.

Forensic research by the ABC has shed new light on just how important a ban on political donations from the gambiling industry is. The ABC’s Hitting the Jackpot investigation revealed that over $81million has been given since 1999 to Liberals, Labor, Nationals and minor parties. 

With gambling industry profits completely at the mercy of government regulation, the Greens say it’s clear that the gambling industry is buying influence and favour, and the Liberal, Labor and National parties are happy to comply.