The House of Representatives is voting on my amendments to the National Anti Corruption Commission Bill. My amendments would make the NACC stronger, removing the 'exceptional circumstances' test for public hearings. #auspol #integrity The major parties teamed up to defeat these amendments.
Now I am moving amendments which seek to define 'exceptional circumstances' within the Bill. This would make it clear to the Commissioner and the public when a public hearing could be held. #auspol

I've met with Mark Dreyfus to talk about the need for an integrity commission many times - but this was the first time in the ministerial wing!
Mr Dreyfus is the third Attorney General with whom I have met to discuss the progress of a federal integrity commission. #auspol I came to this meeting with the intention of working constructively to get the best result for the country and it was positive to be listened to in that cooperative spirit. I look forward to further meetings with Mr Dreyfus as the bill progresses.

Today I met with some of the newer members of the crossbench to talk about what makes a strong integrity commission bill. Developing my model for an integrity commission in the last parliament, I know what attributes make a robust integrity body that will serve Australians well, hold politicians to account and encourage a pro-integrity culture.

Just now, I tabled the Cheaper Home Battery Bill 2022 in the Parliament. This is a Bill that will lower power bills, boost energy security in the regions, and drive a faster and smoother transition to renewables. Here are the details ⬇️ Over the past 10 years, the cost of solar panels has plummeted by about 80%. As a result, rooftop solar delivers solid financial returns no matter where you live in Australia. And so a third of households have solar on their roof. The highest rate in the world.

I am moving to suspend standing orders in the House to get my bill to create the Australian Federal Integrity Commission. We have waited too long for an integrity commission. I call on all Members of Parliament, wherever you sit, who believe this Government has got its priorities wrong, to support this motion today.

Regional Australians have every right to feel completely let down by the Coalition Government today.

My thoughts⬇️ The economic opportunities for regional Australia from the growth of zero carbon industries are simply enormous. The Government promised a detailed plan to capture that opportunity. But today the Prime Minister gave us no such plan.

Today I have written to @ScottMorrisonMP urging him to change course on the vaccine rollout. I have been reluctant to publicly criticise the Government on this but after hearing many stories of problems in the rollout in Indi, I feel duty-bound to raise these concerns. ⬇️ I am making this statement because I want the Government to succeed at this. As the PM has said many times, this is the biggest challenge our nation faces this year. I agree. That is why it is so important we get it right and why we need to address the clear issues we are seeing.

The Government's Bill to establish a new $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund is both extremely important and deeply flawed. I just spoke in the House about the need to invest in our grid infrastructure and what my concerns are with this Bill. Here are the key points of that speech👇 First, it's critical that we invest in our electricity grid. For too long we have seen a lack of investment in this critical regional infrastructure and that lack of investment is costing jobs, slowing down the integration of renewables, and driving up power prices.

I know there's a lot happening right now, but I don't want this to get missed. These comments from @cporterwa about the Government's consultation on its fundamentally flawed Integrity Commission Bill are deeply concerning. 👇

theaustralian.com.au/nation/politic… After running a second public consultation on the Bill over many months, the Attorney-General today said:

“It is very unlikely that the core principles that we took to a full election, totally transparently, in great detail, would be substantially changed in this process."

Today, Corryong College unveiled a new solar system that will cut its power bills by over 60% and allow it to generate its own electricity. This is fantastic news for the whole Upper Murray and shows how renewables are building the resilience of regional communities. Thread 👇 In the summer fires, Corryong College in the remote Upper Murray region of Indi, became an emergency shelter for 600 people evacuated from the local area. You can see from the burn scar - the fires were on every side of the town.

Last night on #QandA we spent most of the show arguing about politicians' bad behaviour. At a time when so many issues need attention, this was a miss. Every minute politicians talk about themselves is a minute not spent on our real jobs: making people's lives better. 👇 In a time of immense challenges for so many, we should be laser-focused on supporting Australians to get back on their feet. Here are five issues that are critical to people in Indi right now that we could have spent an hour discussing last night on QandA.

Finally, after two years of delay and eleven months with the bill sitting on his desk, the Attorney-General has released his exposure legislation for the Commonwealth Integrity Commission.

My reaction. ⬇️ It's surely no coincidence that this comes just 7 days after I introduced my Australian Federal Integrity Commission Bill 2020 into Parliament. There's no doubt my Bill has forced the Government’s hand and I am pleased that at last they have realised the time for delay is over.

Today I wrote to the Attorney-General asking the Govt to support 2 motions from the crossbench in Parliament tomorrow

Our motions would establish two Joint Select Committees to scrutinise the Govt's health & economic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic 👇

canberratimes.com.au/story/6715654/… In a crisis, it is right that the government has the power to move quickly - this is not a time for politicking or games.

All Australians need the government to succeed, and we as crossbenchers are determined to ensure that they do.

That's why we're doing this.

Don’t be fooled by the humdrum panel pic. Tonight we’re dreaming large. With @AustFarmInstitu I’m thrilled to join experts from science and industry in drawing a picture of a better future for Australian Agriculture. Here’s a glimpse (in thread form) 👇🏽 According to soil scientist and @ipcc_ch author Dr Annette Cowie, paying farmers to store carbon in soil is one of the biggest and most crucial ways we can avert the worst parts of dangerous heating and climate disruption. Here she is repping Australian science on the world stage