Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (20:32): I feel honoured to be able to speak on such an important issue. A national anticorruption commission is an important step forward in our parliament, and it's important for our country. Corruption has no place in this place—our parliament—and it has no place in our democracy. Our democracy is one of the strongest in the world, and we want to keep it that way by keeping out undue influences like corruption.

When I was walking the streets, doorknocking thousands of houses and speaking to thousands of my constituents throughout the election campaign, one thing was clear. Trust in us, as elected representatives, is at an all-time low. The common theme from the discussions with blue-collar workers was that politicians are all dodgy. People in our communities, who we are all meant to represent, think that politicians are on the take, on the gravy train and only in it for themselves. Frankly, sometimes, who can blame them for having this view?

Recently, in the previous federal government, we saw ministers resign regularly. But, once they resigned, there were rarely any further questions asked of them. This is because currently we have no structure in place to uphold integrity and prevent corruption. We have no commission against corruption. But this is all about to change. I want to help rebuild trust and integrity in politics and in us as politicians. People deserve to trust their local representatives, and, more importantly, they deserve to have a local member who they can feel pride in and who represents them in the correct way.

But, unfortunately, many in the community only feel resentment, and they hold an underlying belief, once again, that politicians are only in it for themselves and aren't in it for the best of their communities. In the New South Wales parliament there is an Independent Commission Against Corruption, known as ICAC, which has effectively uncovered corruption at all levels of government, and the Hunter has seen multiple local representatives exposed by this process. This is a system which has exposed corruption and dodgy politicians and public servants from all sides, and I personally think that's a great thing.

But I can't help but think that the fact that there is no similar body in place at the federal level to uncover corrupt practices must offer no comfort to the community, who already have a lack of trust in us as politicians. That's why our government is going to put a commission against corruption in place at a federal level, and we're going to do it right. We are committing $262 million over four years to go towards the establishment and operation of this commission. This funding will also make sure that the commission has everything it needs, including the staff, to make sure that it is able to properly consider referrals and allegations and conduct timely investigations without having processes dragged out unnecessarily. But we also want to stop corruption from occurring in the first place. That's why an important role of the commission will be to undertake corruption prevention and education activities.

We've carefully considered the principles on which this commission has been built. This commission that we are proposing will have a broad jurisdiction to investigate serious matters of corrupt conduct across the whole of the public sector. It will hold everyone to account, from prime ministers, ministers, parliamentarians and their staff to government entities and government contractors. We are making sure that no-one who is involved within our parliament can get away with dodgy behaviour. This commission will be independent because we understand that to truly stamp out corruption we as a parliament need to have limited influence. It will have discretion to commence inquiries on its own initiative or in response to issues raised by whistleblowers or the public. Our constituents, the people we represent, should be able to bring forward any concerns that they have if they feel as though their representatives are acting in a way which may be corrupt. It is important that everyone in public life is held to account, and this commission means that the public will be able to do just that.

We're also making sure that this commission has the necessary oversight it needs. This will be done by establishing a statutory parliamentary joint committee which will have the power to ask the commission to provide information about the important work that it will do. Our government is also going to do its best to right the wrongs of the past. We're giving the commission retrospective powers so that it can look into allegations of serious or systemic corruption that occurred before, as well as after, its establishment. Australians not only should have confidence that corruption going forward will be held to account but they should also have comfort in knowing that any corrupt behaviour that occurred in the past will be held to justice. When there is an issue raised that is in the public interest, the public will hear about it. The commission will be able to hold public hearings so that the community are in the loop about the issues that matter to them.

But at the same time we know that just raising an allegation doesn't make the accused guilty, and even when no finding of corruption is made the accused's life will have been impacted in a very big way. That's why we are making sure that people referred to this commission will have the right to not be seen in the public eye as guilty until they have been proven to be. The commission that will be established will make findings of fact, and they will be able to make findings of corrupt conduct. When these findings are found, if they include criminal conduct, they will be referred to the Australian Federal Police or the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.

Our nation is built upon a strong legal system, and it is absolutely vital that we make sure that those who have findings made against them have the right to undergo a fair trial, which they are entitled to. That's why we are making sure that the commission will operate with procedural fairness and its findings will be subject to judicial review.

This legislation is not only about holding individuals to account; it's also about protecting people. We have included strong protection for whistleblowers and exemptions for journalists which will protect the identity of the source of the allegations, because, when something seems like it's not right, when something smells a little fishy, people should be able to come forward and raise it without the fear of what the consequences might be for them.

This legislation is well thought out. We have everything covered. Make no mistake; the National Anti-Corruption Commission will have real power and authority. It will be an authority with teeth, and it will be an effective barrier against corruption in the Commonwealth. That is something that I'm extremely proud of being part of. I'm proud that our government is putting people first and making sure that corruption has no place in the engine room of decision-making in our country.

I'm not in politics to serve myself. I'm here to serve the community that I live in and the people that live in it. It disappoints me that people in this place who have been seen to be involved in corrupt behaviour have made the people in the community that I love lose trust in the people they should be able to trust the most, the people they should be able to go to to raise concerns about issues that really impact their lives.

To my electorate I say: I will always serve your interests and nothing else. I'm not afraid of being held to account. In fact, I encourage it. This commission is something that should have been in place a long, long time ago. It should not have been delayed. It should not have been forced to take a back seat. The Albanese Labor government is getting things done, and today is a big step in restoring the faith that people deserve to have in their representatives and in their parliament.

As I said in my first speech, we have been thought of as being dodgy politicians for a long time. I heard it day after day, week after week, on the campaign. That is what I heard, and I still hear it now. I want to be part of a government that changes that. I commend this bill to the House.