With the passing this week of the legislation to establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission, one of the Albanese government’s key election promises has been fulfilled. It is to be congratulated for moving so quickly on an issue that for too many years had been left in the too-hard basket.

What has also been evident this week is the reason such an investigative body is so essential for transparent and accountable government. As reported in The Age, leaked emails show senior federal Coalition MP Stuart Robert secretly provided advice to a Canberra consulting firm that helps large companies win lucrative government contracts and obtain access to senior Coalition politicians, including leader Peter Dutton.

Scott Morrison defends himself during the censure motion.Credit:Rhett Wyman

The emails reveal how Robert used his status as a federal MP in 2017 and 2018 to help the firm Synergy 360 sign up corporate clients with the promise of helping them navigate the federal public service and political system and meet key decision-makers, including senior Coalition ministers.

Synergy 360 is paid a retainer by companies to arrange meetings with officials and is paid a commission if a contract is successfully secured. It was also later revealed that Synergy 360, which is owned by good friends of Robert, claimed in leaked internal documents that he attended meetings to discuss potentially lucrative government projects after becoming a minister.

Robert has said he has not breached the ministerial code of conduct that is meant to prevent conflicts of interests.

Quite rightly, Government Services Minister Bill Shorten initiated a review by Services Australia and the National Disability Insurance Agency into major federal contracts awarded to companies linked to Synergy 360. By Thursday this week he had beefed up the probe by stating an “eminent Australian” would carry out the review rather than the agencies themselves.

There are some obvious flaws in the national political system that need to be put under the microscope. While ministers in the Morrison government were required to follow a code of conduct, which stated that when dealing with lobbyists “they do not give rise to a conflict between public duty and private interest”, backbenchers were completely off the hook.

Independent MP Zali Steggall stated the obvious recently when she declared that “a strong code of conduct for all members of parliament is essential to restore trust and confidence in members of parliament”.

There is also the issue of the deficiencies in the code of conduct for lobbyists. Synergy 360 did not even register as a lobbyist when it was clearly attempting to influence ministers and departments. The Attorney-General’s Department imposes rules on lobbyists to disclose their key staff and clients on a public register, but Synergy 360 told clients it did not need to register. Apparently, nobody questioned this lapse.

While Robert has vehemently denied any inappropriate behaviour in his dealings with Synergy 360, we will have to wait for the Shorten review to flesh out the possible conflicts of interest.

In future, one might expect the National Anti-Corruption Commission to investigate situations like this.

More generally, one would hope that with a beefed-up investigative body, the potential for wrongdoing would be diminished by the heightened prospect of improper behaviour being rigorously investigated.

Robert was not the only one who faced political heat this week over past behaviour in government. Former prime minister Scott Morrison was censured on Wednesday for eroding public trust in Australia’s democracy over his self-appointment to five portfolios, the first time a former PM has been formally reprimanded by the federal parliament.

While Morrison accepted that he went too far when he acquired the Treasury and Home Affairs portfolios, he was defiant in his response in parliament. He attacked the motion as being “entirely partisan” and the actions of an opposition, rather than a government, although he did support the recommendations of the inquiry by former High Court judge Virginia Bell, which includes greater transparency laws.

Whatever defence Morrison may put up for his actions, the already tarnished reputation of politics in Canberra has been further diminished by his moves. At the last federal election, the public could not have been clearer in their verdict that it was time for politicians to clean up their act. The days of allowing them to largely self-regulate their behaviour are over. It has been shown that, time and time again, when it is politically expedient, lines are crossed that should not be.

Labor has spent much time since entering office touting its aspiration to run a more transparent and accountable government that steers clear of conduct that would bring it into disrepute. It’s an admirable ambition, and establishing the National Anti-Corruption Commission is certainly a big step in ensuring that happens. But new, popular governments are always in a politically secure position to make aspirational edicts. Let us hope that this government can follow through over the long term. It’s time the bar was set higher, establishing a new standard for others to follow.

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