Labor expected to win last-minute battle over control of corruption watchdog

Updated: 11.51am, November 29

The government is expected to win a last-minute battle raging in federal Parliament over control of the Commonwealth’s proposed new anti-corruption watchdog. 

At issue is a pair of competing amendments that would limit the government’s control over the proposed National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC). 

The Liberals want to change the rules around appointing a NACC commissioner and independent inspector, requiring a super majority of members of the body’s oversight committee to agree on the choice.

The Greens and independent ACT Senator David Pocock responded on Tuesday morning with their own amendment, which would require a simple majority instead. 

“We want to make sure that this NACC works. We want to make sure we don’t hand a complete blank check to the government, and [that] we don’t hand a veto to the opposition,” Greens justice spokesman David Shoebridge said. 

If the Greens and Coalition agreed on either amendment, they would have the votes to pass it through the Senate. 

However, Shoebridge said the Greens would not be voting for the Liberal amendment. 

Crikey understands the Coalition won’t vote for the Greens one either. 

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus lashed out at the Liberals earlier on Tuesday morning, telling them to “stop playing games”. 

“If they’re serious about tackling corruption in this country, they will pass the bill in the form in which they voted for it in the House and we can get on with the important work of creating a powerful, transparent and independent National Anti-Corruption Commission,” Dreyfus said. 

The Greens had initially pushed for their own amendment, which would prevent government MPs from chairing the NACC’s oversight committee. Realising that amendment was unlikely to get support, Greens justice spokesman David Shoebridge told Guardian Australia on Monday evening the Greens were considering supporting the Liberal super-majority proposal.

However, by Tuesday morning, that plan appeared to have changed. 

The crossbench amendment would require the NACC commissioner, and the body’s inspector, to be approved by seven out of 12 committee members. The chair would not have a casting vote — meaning the power to break a tie — in that scenario.

The Senate will spend part of Tuesday afternoon debating the NACC bill.