Scott Morrison has denied he broke a key election promise by not legislating an anti-corruption commission prior to the May poll.
The Prime Minister faced a grilling from journalists in Tasmania on Thursday after he conceded an integrity commission was on the backburner until Labor agreed to the Coalition’s model.
Mr Morrison first promised an anti-corruption body in 2018, but did not present his model to parliament after it failed to win crossbench support.
“If you cannot deliver on what you promised, how can Australians trust what you say now?” he was asked.
Mr Morrison rejected the question and attempted to shift the narrative back to his achievements and the Coalition’s re-election pitch.
But the press pack persisted.
“You are asking Australians to trust you and you haven’t delivered on a promise about trust, about integrity. How can Australians trust you? It is a broken promise, isn’t it?” a reporter asked.
“I have to disagree with you. No, it’s not (a broken promise),” Mr Morrison responded.
“We put forward our proposal in detailed legislation and it has not been supported by the Labor Party. I need bipartisan support to put that in place. I am not going to introduce a kangaroo court.”
Asked if he would commit to legislating an integrity commission in the next term of parliament, Mr Morrison responded: “My priorities are: Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs and jobs.”
Questioning then turned to outspoken Liberal Bridget Archer, who sensationally crossed the floor to support debate of independent MP Helen Haines’ proposed integrity commission model.
While she said she did not approve of Labor’s model, she conceded “nothing will move forward until the politics is taken out”.
“I have spoken on this severxjmtzywal times and made the view that all sides of politics agree that we should have some sort of national integrity body. The disagreement comes on what that should look like,” Ms Archer said.
On the hustings in Cessnock, Labor leader Anthony Albanese seized on Mr Morrison’s comments.
“The reason why this Prime Minister doesn’t want an anti-corruption commission is sitting on his front bench,” he told reporters in the seat of Hunter.
Meanwhile, Ms Archer was also pressed about how voters could support the Prime Minister, given she herself broke ranks to sink his religious discrimination bill and abstained from voting on the government’s cashless debit card program.
Ms Archer said voters in Bass knew she was just doing her job.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t stand up and say what was important for the people of Bass and the Prime Minister has to take that and balance that with the needs of everyone else across the country,” she told reporters.
“I am proud to be part of this team that can give me the ability to do that and to move forward as part of that team.
“If I sat on the Labor benches, I would be out the door.”
