The Coalition’s blocking of an inquiry into Christian Porter’s use of anonymous donations to fund his legal fees has ignited political backlash over transparency and accountability concerns.
Mr Porter escaped an examination being launched into his use of a so-called blind trust on Wednesday, despite Speaker Tony Smith saying there was a case to be investigated.
Government MPs blocked Labor’s attempt to spark the parliamentary investigation into the former attorney-general's financial disclosures.
Labor’s foreign affairs spokesperson Penny Wong on Wednesday described the actions of the government to deny the inquiry as “appalling”.
“Australians deserve a prime minister who uses their power for the good of the country,” she told reporters.
“This bloke Mr Morrison uses his power to protect his mates - to avoid accountability and to cover up a million dollars in anonymous donations.”
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has defended the government’s response, arguing its decision to support a broader inquiry into crowdfunding of MPs’ legal costs will address the issue.
Labor's foreign affairs spokesperson Penny Wong at a press conference at Parliament House. Source: AAP
He has accused the opposition’s outrage as playing politics.
“If others want to play politics with it, that's their prerogative,” he told Channel Nine’s Today Show on Thursday.
“I want to make sure the rules are right so the integrity is protected.”
Mr Porter resigned as a minister after revealing mystery legal donors helped to fund part of his defamation action against the ABC for its reporting of a historical rape allegation.
Labor’s motion was formally opposed by leader of the house Peter Dutton on Wednesday before being voted down 52-49.
This came after the speaker had ruled there was a prima facie case for the referral, opening the way for a vote on the motion from the manager of opposition business Tony Burke.
The speaker had examined the former attorney-general’s declaration of interests in his consideration of the matter.
“Based on my careful consideration of all of the information available to me, I am satisfied that a prima facie case has been made out,” Mr Smith said on Wednesday.
Since Federation, Labor and the Greens say there has never been a time where the House voted down a resolution after precedence had been given by the Speaker in more than 120 years.
Greens leader Adam Bandt described the government’s response as one of the “darkest days for democracy” in the parliament.
“The government is now running a protection racket,” he told reporters in Canberra.
“This should send a shiver down the spine of everyone in this country who cares about democracy.”
Last month, Mr Porter revealed part of his legal fees against the ABC had been paid through the so-called blind trust known as the “Legal Services Trust”.
He left the cabinet after refusing to ask his benefactors who had made donations to reveal themselves after Mr Morrison sought advice over whether the trust had breached ministerial standards.
Mr Dutton on Wednesday instead proposed that the privileges committee launch a broader inquiry into anonymous donations, including those which come through online donor platforms.
He used the example of a GoFundMe page Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young used to raise money for the defamation action she took against former senator David Leyonhjelm.
The prime minister said this inquiry would determine rules around how defamation actions against politicians were funded.
“Let’s get those rules clear for everybody,” Mr Morrison said.
But independent Senator Jacqui Lambie said she’d had a “gutful” over the lack of transparency.
“It is a political donation - let’s call it out for what it is - in a brown paper bag - and it is absolutely disgusting,” Senator Lambie told Channel Nine’s Today Show.
“[Everyone] are just sick of the lack of transparency."
