There's no need for a federal ICAC model when you've sworn your allegiances to the Westminster conventions.
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That's the word, according to Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie, anyway.
The Regionalisation Minister took to the National Press Club stage in late April, to spruik the Coalition's plans to support the regions, rehashing a lot of previous commitments.
But it was her response to the government's failed promise to introduce a federal integrity commission that piqued attention.
The Nationals Senate leader is no stranger to controversy.
A scathing audit report in 2020 unveiled issues with how Senator McKenzie, the then-sports minister, approved more than $100 million in community sport grants in the lead up to the 2019 federal election.
Those that had received the grants, the audit office said, were not always the most meritorious nor appropriate, and were not in line with recommendations from Sport Australia.
Then there was the colour-coded spreadsheet, in which key electorates the Coalition government needed to win were highlighted.
Despite the questions, and eyebrows, raised, Senator McKenzie resisted calls for her sacking, adding she had used ministerial discretion and that no "special treatment" was given to projects in marginal seats.
But it was a gun club membership that was her eventual undoing.
Nine newspapers revealed the Victorian senator had failed to declare she was a member of Wangaratta shooting club, despite it receiving $35,980 to upgrade its facilities under the grants program.
A report by Philip Gaetjens, Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary, found the conflict was a breach of ministerial standards and the next day Senator McKenzie resigned from cabinet.
For 516 days, she remained on the backbench before a Nationals leadership spill resulted in her elevation to the leadership when Barnaby Joyce returned as the junior Coalition partner's leader.
Under the government's proposed integrity model, the "sports rorts" saga as it's come to be known as, would likely not fall within its remit.
The Commonwealth Integrity Commission's exposure draft was touted as being more powerful than a royal commission.
But the finer details show it wouldn't hold public hearings, could not investigate retrospective allegations, would not consider non-criminal misconduct and would have no obligation to publicly publish its findings into a politician's conduct.
And Senator McKenzie believes it shouldn't go any further.
"We need to be able to differentiate between criminal corruption and political hit jobs," the former sports minister said on Wednesday, broadcasting to a national audience.
"I think, in a Westminster system like ours, there are conventions that ministers adhere to and appropriately so.
"Our public does need to be assured that public service, both political and bureaucratic - we're not seeing that sort of systemic, political corruption that you can see in other places."
How the senator knows whether there's systemic political corruption is unclear.
What is clear is her full trust in ministers following conventions. And she wants the public to be assured of that too.
"In a Westminster system, when you breach ministerial standards, it's beholden on the minister to do the right thing," she said again in response to a question over why her ministerial breach shouldn't fall be within the purview of a federal ICAC.
So, repeat after me:
Pork-barrelling is impossible, due to Westminster conventions.
Cronyism? Nepotism? Impossible under the Westminster conventions.
A minister acting without integrity? Not a chance under the Westminster conventions.
And that's that.