Greens senator Larissa Waters says integrity body would wipe out half of Morrison cabinet

Greens senator Larissa Waters told the Senate on Thursday Prime Minister Scott Morrison was nearing the 1000-day mark since he made an election promise to deliver an anti-corruption watchdog.

It comes days after independent member Helen Haines similarly called on the government to introduce an integrity body with teeth, citing strong public support from all sides of the political spectrum.

Senator Waters said the Auditor-General had delivered nine reports in that period, highlighting a strong need for the body's establishment.

Of the 23 ministers serving on the Morrison-Joyce cabinet, 12 had been caught up in scandals, she said.

"If this is the highest level of integrity Australians can expect from cabinet ministers, the case for an ICAC could not be clearer," Senator Waters said.

"It's no wonder this Prime Minister doesn't want one - a strong, independent integrity commission would leave half the cabinet table empty."

The senator said it was now two years since a bill she introduced had passed the senate.

It amended a plan by former member for Indi Cathy McGowan, refining the meaning of corrupt conduct and limiting investigations to conduct in the last ten years.

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But Ms Haines, the current Member for Indi who introduced her own bill a year ago, said earlier this week it was obvious the government had no intention of creating the body.

"Australians are still waiting. It's blindingly obvious the Prime Minister will not deliver one right now," she said.

"Australians are putting their faith in government in ways we've never seen before.

"From lockdown orders to the vaccine rollout, Australians are living up to their side of the bargain and in exchange, when it comes to integrity, this government is taking them for fools."

The audit office has been responsible for publicly revealing ministerial interference into a number of federal grants programs.

In early 2020, it delivered a report showing then-sports minister Senator Bridget McKenzie overlooked grants applications found worthy by government agency Sport Australia.

The senator's office instead ran its own assessment process favouring marginal electorates.

Another audit into the government's commuter car park fund released in June showed millions were being directed to projects in Coalition-held seats.

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