Responding to today's reported deferral of legislation to enable a federal integrity commission, the Greens will push to bring on for debate and vote legislation to establish a national anti-corruption watchdog when Parliament resumes in June.

A Greens integrity commission bill has already passed the Senate with support from Labor and the crossbench and could pass the House if as few as two backbench government MPs cross the floor, as they have threatened to do. The Bill passed in September of last year.

The Greens will introduce a motion in the Senate calling for Federal Parliament to sit in June to strengthen democracy and address ongoing issues of national importance.

“The Covid crisis response and the plan for recovery demand more transparency in government decision-making. The Senate Covid Committee plays a critical role, but is no substitute for full parliamentary oversight," said Senator Larissa Waters, Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on Democracy.

The Greens have called on the Prime Minister to stand down Minister Angus Taylor until he can provide a full account of a doctored document used in a media attack by his office on the Sydney Lord Mayor.

“The Prime Minister has asked Australians for their trust in recent days but he has thrown integrity overboard by his failure to act on the ongoing, multiple sagas involving Minister Taylor,” said Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters.

The Australian Parliament should set up a cross-parliamentary committee to oversee the government’s pandemic and ensure democratic checks and balances are maintained, Leader of the Australian Greens Adam Bandt MP said today.

The Greens Leader has written to the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition, as well as crossbench MPs and Senators, to request the formation of a Joint Select Committee at next week’s sitting of Parliament.

“We need more democracy during this crisis, not less,” said Mr Bandt.

Attorney-General Christian Porter continues to avoid a clear answer on whether his long overdue proposal for a Commonwealth Integrity Commission would have enough teeth to cover the rorts scandals.
 
“Based on the Attorney’s comments to date, it seems like sports rorts would not have been covered, which shows how weak and ineffective it is likely to be - if it’s ever in fact established”, said Greens Senate Leader and spokesperson on democracy, Senator Larissa Waters.
 

The Morrison Government is actively subverting democracy by twice in the past two sitting weeks using procedural games to avoid greater transparency on rorts.
 
The Government has today blocked Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters from postponing a motion which would require them to disclose when ministers have departed from advice of independent bodies under Commonwealth Grants Guidelines, with risk of pork barrelling.
 

Greens MPs have used the Federal Parliament to demand justice for Julian Assange, as his extradition hearing begins in London.

In the House of Representatives today, Greens Leader Adam Bandt has called for Mr Assange to be brought back to Australia, while in the Senate, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson today questioned the government and yesterday moved a motion urging the Parliament not to be silent on the criminalisation of journalistic activity.

Quotes attributable to Greens Leader Adam Bandt MP:

The Greens will move to get big money out of politics this week by introducing a bill to cap donations to political parties at  $1000 per year and to ban all party political donations from dirty industries buying influence: the mining, banking, gambling, alcohol and property industries.

Greens Spokesperson for Media and Chair of the Senate Inquiry into Press Freedoms Senator Sarah Hanson-Young responded to the Federal Court’s dismissal of the ABC’s legal challenge against the validity of police warrants used to raid its Ultimo headquarters last year:

“Today’s court ruling over the ABC raids shows our press freedom laws are broken. We need proper protection for whistleblowers and journalists so the public know what’s really happening in our names and with our taxes. We have a right to know what the Government is up to.