Revelations that the Finance Department inquiry into Assistant Minister Michael Sukkar was outsourced to the law firm he used to work for is further proof Australia urgently needs a federal corruption watchdog, Greens say. 

Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said:

"This is just another outrageous example of why we need an independent federal corruption watchdog. Mates investigating mates won't stop corruption. 

The Greens condemn the Morrison Government for failing to include a gender lens in the Budget, instead leaving it to a non-profit women's organisation to do their homework for them. 

"Women are once again mopping up after the Morrison Government by applying a gender lens to the Budget, something which should have been done by government itself," said Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters.

Greens Leader, Adam Bandt, says the Liberal Party's continued excuses for not having a National anti-corruption body have become utterly farcical.

“More leaked talking points, more excuses. The Liberals have spent thousands of words justifying why there's still no Federal ICAC, when it would only take a vote in the House to implement the Greens bill that has already passed the Senate,” Bandt said.

The Coalition is using the Federal Budget to silence public accountability and transparency bodies that have called out this Government’s corruption, Greens Leader in the Senate and Spokesperson for Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters said.

“Once again, this corrupt Government is doing all it can to avoid public scrutiny, this time using the Budget to cut funding to our accountability and transparency bodies,” Senator Waters said.

This year’s Budget has failed women by failing to address the key drivers of women’s economic insecurity, tackle the domestic violence crisis, or combat gender inequality, Greens Co-Deputy Leader and spokesperson on Women, Senator Larissa Waters said.
 
“The 2020 Budget is bad for women. It has no new money for childcare, housing or frontline domestic violence services, the tax cuts are worth twice as much for men as women, and the women’s economic security statement is a mere $18 per Australian woman.
 

The long overdue announcement of the Safe Places Emergency Accommodation grants is welcome, but falls critically short of national demand and is no substitute for adequate funding in next week's Budget, Greens Senate Leader Larissa Waters said.  
 
“This funding is a fraction of the money needed to ensure women and children fleeing family violence have somewhere to go and get the support services they need,” Senator Waters, Greens spokesperson on Women, said.
 

Responding to the Supreme Court’s decision to grant Adani a temporary injunction to silence anti-Adani activist Ben Pennings, Senator for Queensland and Greens spokesperson for mining and resources, Senator Larissa Waters, said: 
 
“I’m disgusted that a coal billionaire has used the courts to silence anti-Adani climate activist, Galilee Blockade leader Ben Pennings.

“We live in a broken democracy where big companies will do whatever they can to silence opposition.

The Morrison government still refuses to call the Greens bill to establish a federal corruption watchdog on for a vote, one year after it passed the Senate.
 
Greens Leader in the Senate and spokesperson for Democracy, Senator Larissa Waters, said time was up on the Coalition’s excuses.
 
“The Senate passed the Greens bill for a federal corruption watchdog one year ago today; so why are we still waiting?” Senator Waters said.
 
“Maybe it’s because the Morrison government is up to its eyeballs in dodgy deals for mates and pork barrelling.