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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.
“Not only is the Prime Minister choosing not to investigate whether Mr Michael Sukkar breached Ministerial Standards, but now we’ve learnt the Finance Department administrative inquiry into the Assistant Treasurer was outsourced to the very law firm he used to work for.
“The government cannot be trusted to properly scrutinise its own Ministers and is doing all it can to delay setting up a watchdog with teeth that will hold their dodgy dealings to account.
“Just this morning, the Attorney General’s Department revealed an exposure draft of the Government’s bill for a federal integrity body has been sitting in the Attorney General’s inbox since December 2019. And yet the Government is still peddling the excuse that the pandemic has slowed them down.
“After two years of excuses and promises of draft laws being “imminent” and “soon”, it’s clear that the government just doesn’t want a watchdog, and perhaps that’s because with every passing week there is a new scandal.”

Australian Greens Peace and Disarmament spokesperson Senator Jordon Steele-John said allegations by American Marines that Australian special forces shot and killed a prisoner because there was no room for them on a helicopter were disgraceful and appalling.
“These allegations, if proven to be true, are war crimes and the individuals responsible must face the full weight of the law for their actions,” Steele-John said.
“When you have American Marines and the Drug Enforcement Agency saying they don’t want to work with Australian special forces because of their alleged criminal behaviour then you know that something is very seriously wrong.
“This is clearly a much larger problem then just the individuals involved in this case, and the many others that have surfaced over the last few months. What we are beginning to see emerge here is a sinister cultural problem within our defence forces that must be investigated, owned and addressed.
“Australians expect that our defence forces will act respectfully, and lawfully, when undertaking operations in foreign conflict zones in our name. If that is not the case, then we deserve to know.”

Not a single dollar of the $250m arts and entertainment package the PM announced with Guy Sebastian four months ago has been spent, the Department has revealed under questioning by Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young at Senate Estimates today.
“The Morrison Government has failed the arts and entertainment industry. The fact not a single dollar of this so-called rescue package has gone to an artist or creative four months after the announcement is a kick in the guts,” Greens Spokesperson for the Arts Senator Sarah Hanson-Young said.
“The arts and entertainment industry was shutdown overnight in March and has been the second hardest hit with job losses, yet the PM didn’t even put money on the table for it until June and now still hasn’t spent a cent.
“The Prime Minister was excited to be sharing the stage with Guy Sebastian, but despite the fanfare nothing been delivered. Again Scott Morrison is all sizzle and no sausage.
“It’s hardly coming to the rescue if eight months after being hit by Covid19 restrictions the industry is still waiting for support. It’s like promising a struggling swimmer a lifebuoy and not throwing it out till their too weak to hold onto it.
“The Morrison Government has shown nothing but contempt for the arts. We know he prefers footy, but he should also value a $112bn contribution to our economy and the benefits for other sectors likes hospitality and tourism.
“The PM should be ensuring the $250 money gets out the door immediately, and then quadrupling it so the industry worth so much to our economy, culture and social fabric, has a chance of survival.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the incidence and severity of perinatal depression and anxiety. Since March 2020, the number of new callers to the Perinatal Anxiety and Depression Australia (PANDA) helpline has doubled. 43% of all calls to the PANDA helpline come from Victoria.
The Morrison Government is supporting expectant and new parents providing $13.6 million through our $43.9 million Perinatal Mental Health and Wellbeing Program to extend vital national perinatal mental health services.
Almost 100,000 Australian parents are affected by perinatal depression and anxiety each year. One in 10 women experience this while pregnant and one in seven in the year after birth. Men can also experience perinatal mental illness, with about one in 10 expectant and new fathers experiencing depression, anxiety or other forms of emotional distress.
Callers to the helpline are also presenting with more intense and enduring mental illness with call times rising from 15 to 30 minutes prior to COVID-19 to 30 to 45 minutes.
In May our Government provided $320,000 additional funding for the PANDA helpline and in September a further $350,000 in funding to ensure that the helpline is able to meet the increased demand from parents impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in Victoria.
The $13.6 million in additional funding will ensure that PANDA and other key national programs will continue to support women and their families affected by perinatal mental illness, or experiencing grief after the death of a child during this challenging period.
Dedicated perinatal mental health support, perinatal loss and bereavement peer support, and perinatal mental health promotion and training will be delivered by trusted organisations right across Australia. This will complement the work being done by Primary Health Networks in ensuring tailored local mental health services are available on-the-ground in every community.
The new program will extend funding for existing national perinatal mental health and wellbeing services including:

• PANDA’s National Perinatal Anxiety and Depression helpline
• Red Nose’s helpline and peer support
• Sand’s helpline and peer support
• the MumSpace website (www.mumspace.com.au) which hosts the MumMoodBooster treatment program and the MindMum smartphone app

This funding builds on the $1.3 million delivered to Sands Australia for an intensive support service to families affected by stillbirth, as well as $3 million for national education and awareness programs to demystify stillbirth and reduce its incidence announced last year.
The Morrison Government continues to prioritise better mental health for all Australians, with an unprecedented $5.7 billion to be spent on mental health in 2020–21.

The Australian Government is ensuring the mental health and wellbeing of young people remains a priority during a challenging time.
Today marks National headspace Day – an initiative aimed at helping youth take small steps every day to improve their mental health.
Minister for Health, Greg Hunt and Minister for Youth and Sport, Richard Colbeck, encouraged young people to take time out for themselves.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives of young people across Australia,” Minister Hunt said.
“Whether you are struggling to focus on study, have lost a job or finding it difficult to connect with others – there are professional teams and services like headspace available to offer support.”
There are currently 124 headspace services in Australia and many are planning headspace Day events and celebrations.
Since 2006, headspace has provided more than 3.6 million services and supported more than 626,000 young Australians to strengthen their wellbeing and manage their mental health.
In 2019–20 alone, headspace supported nearly 130,000 young people.
In 2020–21, the Government is providing over $130 million to support headspace services across Australia, and has also committed to expand the headspace network to 153 services by 2022.
Minister Colbeck said every year one in four young Australians experienced mental health issues.
“More than ever many young people are facing family or relationship conflict, a disconnection from study and work, financial stress and social isolation,” he said.
“During times like these, focusing on the everyday things that support a young person’s wellbeing helping them form healthy habits, develop resilience and manage stress or anxiety.
Minister Colbeck said the Government was also committed to ensuring the mental health of young people is maintained through provisions from the 2020-21 Budget.
“The Australian Government has invested an unprecedented $5.7 billion in mental health support in 2020-21 alone,” Minister Colbeck said.
The support builds on the ongoing work to develop a whole-of-government National Youth Policy Framework to inform how policies and programs support young Australians and improve their lives.
For more information on the headspace Day and how to be involved, along with digital wellbeing kits, visit www.headspace.org.au.
Follow headspace on social media and share your favourite tip using #headspacetips and #headspaceday.