Radio interview – ABC Radio National, Breakfast with Sally Sara

E&OE

Subjects: NACC appointments; KPMG; National Gun Buyback Scheme

SALLY SARA, HOST: Michelle Rowland is the Federal Attorney-General and joins me in our Parliament House studio this morning. Welcome back to Radio National Breakfast.

MICHELLE ROWLAND, ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Good morning.

SARA: You've previously said that this is an opportunity for the NACC to refresh and reset. Aside from appointing new senior staff to the watchdog, are there any changes the body could make to be more effective, in your view?

ROWLAND: Well, firstly, I want to reiterate that the Government backs the National Anti-Corruption Commission. This is a vital plank of our integrity framework. It does important work and it has changed the integrity landscape in Australia. But as I said, this is an opportunity for a reset and a refresh, and we have applications that will be opening at 9am today. People who might be listening might care to check out the criteria at the AG Department's website, but I think this is an opportunity for two reasons. Firstly, with new personnel, it's significant that we are doing the first new round of appointments since the inaugural appointments of those Commissioner positions, so that's significant and the other is we recognise the importance of transparency in this process. It's why we have consulted with the Parliamentary committee that has oversight for the NACC, we've also consulted with key integrity bodies about how this should look and I think that we have come to a place where we have a good set of criteria. It is a merits-based process and we are calling far and wide for the next three weeks for people to apply who would be suitable.

SARA: How important do you think it is for the NACC to do some of its work in public, whether by publishing more findings or holding more public hearings? Did Paul Brereton get the balance right on that, in your view, or is there more that could be done?

ROWLAND: Well, firstly, I don't direct the NAAC, I respect its independence. Of course, it is subject to its own statutory rules, and they include, for example, the ability to hold public hearings if it is considered to be in the interest to do so. So, I would never interfere in its independence.

SARA: Would it help public confidence?

ROWLAND: I think that that will be a matter for the new Commissioners to determine a way forward. It's why I've been very careful to highlight in our selection criteria, the attributes not only include experience, they include qualities. But I will say this as an observation, I think people are sometimes surprised, including when I had a question without notice recently in the Parliament about the sheer amount of work that the NACC does. It's had some 7,500 referrals; it's finalised the vast majority of them. There have been 34 investigations completed and about the same number that are on foot, and 11 convictions arising from its work. Whilst I don't seek to direct the NACC in any way, I do point out that they are some of the pieces of work that have been done that many people might not know about, and indeed, the opportunity for a refresh and a reset with new Commissioners, I think is opportune.

SARA: There have been calls from some parliamentarians for an overhaul of how the NACC Commissioners are appointed. Have you considered whether changing the selection process might increase public confidence in the organisation?

ROWLAND: We have considered that and I think the key here is transparency. We will have a selection panel, and this will be done in exactly the same procedural way as was done with the previous Commissioner. It goes to, ultimately, the Parliamentary Joint Committee; whom I may note, have unanimously endorsed all previous appointments in the past. But we have taken that into account and, I appreciate the constructive engagement across the Parliament in this process so far, and I look forward to it continuing.

SARA: I was speaking earlier this morning with Labor Senator Deb O'Neill about the controversy surrounding KPMG. Is the government looking at trying to tighten regulation in cooperation with the states to hold the Big Four more accountable?

ROWLAND: Look, I think this is vitally important and I thank the Senator for the important work that she's doing. I do know that there has been a NACC referral in this regard, so I'll be cautious in how I comment on that. But I think I'll say the key point I want to make here is that I think this all points to what has been a real erosion of trust in institutions when we see this kind of behaviour and that is exactly what the NACC was established to address.

SARA: So, would it only be the NACC that will be addressing that, or is the government looking at working with the States to try and tighten the regulations? Because these Big Four are sitting in a regulation sweet spot in some ways?

ROWLAND: Well, I think the NACC is a key component of that. The other, of course, is that we have committed to bringing forward a second tranche of public interest disclosure laws around whistleblowers, for example. But I think that this also has quite a way to play out and as we see more evidence and more reporting about what has been going on, this is an area where we do need to work closely with all our counterparts, and it's one of those issues that I think is going to become more prominent before it gets addressed.

SARA: The National Cabinet will meet today. Given the National Cabinet's commitment to gun reforms after the Bondi attack in December, will the PM discuss the stalled implementation of the National Gun Buyback scheme with the State and Territory leaders? Can we expect that?

ROWLAND: Well, obviously, I don't know the agenda for National Cabinet today, but I do know that the Prime Minister considers this to be one of his top priorities. I'll also point out that we've had the interim report of the Royal Commission, two specific recommendations out of 14 went to the States and Territories on the issue of prioritising firearms reform and the buyback scheme, and this is a Royal Commission which States signed up to in terms of identical letters patent. So, the obligation there is on the States to work with the Commonwealth to deliver these vital reforms.

SARA: What's your message to the States on taking action here?

ROWLAND: My message is twofold. First, firearms reform has the overwhelming [support of a] majority of Australian citizens. Secondly, as we saw with the horrific events in Bondi, that occurred because the perpetrators had hate in their hearts but also guns in their hands. Coming up to, well, we've just in fact passed the 30th anniversary of Port Arthur, Australians would still be stunned to know that there are more guns in Australia today than at that time 30 years ago. These are sensible reforms that need to get done and the Royal Commission has even said so.

SARA: Michelle Rowland, Attorney-General, thank you for joining me this morning.

ROWLAND: Pleasure.

[ENDS]