This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Anti-corruption campaigners have urged the Coalition to adopt a crossbench proposal for a new federal integrity commission when it is introduced to parliament next week.

Cathy McGowan, the independent crossbencher, is poised to introduce a bill creating a federal anti-corruption body when parliament resumes on Monday.

The draft bill would give the integrity commission strong powers, including the ability to conduct retrospective investigations and compel witnesses, including ministers who breach the code of conduct.

It would be tasked largely with rooting out systemic and serious corruption. Lesser matters would be left to existing agencies, including the commonwealth ombudsman, the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity, and the auditor general.

The commission would also act as a protector for whistleblowers. A second bill would create a code of conduct for politicians.

The model is a product of a significant volume of work by the crossbenchers, including McGowan, Rebekha Sharkie and Andrew Wilkie.

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It follows the release of a detailed blueprint for a federal integrity commission created by a group of former senior judges in September.

Transparency International, an anti-corruption body that has long campaigned for such a commission, has urged the major parties to support McGowan’s bill.

“While there is more work to do to address lobbying and political donations, Cathy McGowan’s proposal sets up the machinery to combat bribery and corruption and build a culture of integrity among parliamentarians, their staff and public servants,” its chief executive, Serena Lillywhite, said.

“We call on all parties to progress these bills next week and bring a strong anti-corruption and integrity framework to fruition before the next election.”

The numbers are difficult for McGowan. Even the bill wins the support of Labor and all the crossbench, she is still short one vote. On Thursday, McGowan laid down a challenge to the Coalition.

“To the attorney general listening to this this morning, and all the members of the Coalition, come and tell the people of Australia why you won’t do this,” she told the ABC.

“We’ve listened to the problems you had on referrals, on public hearings, on the definition of corruption, and we’ve put together a really solid bill.”

Labor has already said this week that it wants to work with the crossbench on an integrity commission. The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said on Monday Labor was willing to work with the Coalition but would not “wait for them”.

“I want to make it clear that when parliament resumes at the end of November, we will be seeking the support of the crossbench to help develop a national anti-corruption commission,” Shorten said on Monday.

The attorney general, Christian Porter, has regularly said he is not opposed to reform in the integrity space. But he is yet to embrace the idea of a federal integrity commission. The group of ex-judges who worked on an integrity commission blueprint said Porter’s response to their proposal was “lukewarm”.

Transparency International says it has been speaking to all the major parties in an attempt to find common ground. It helped produce an options paper earlier this year, laying out three models for such a body, which varied in strength and remit.

The paper recommended the most comprehensive model, a custom-built integrity commission, which it said would cost about $110.8m per year. That spending would bring the commonwealth in line with the spending of the weakest Australian state jurisdiction. It would come close to the amount New Zealand spends on anti-corruption.

“We are pleased to see Cathy McGowan has agreed with our analysis in the simple but comprehensive plan she is now proposing,” Lillywhite said.

“While there is more work to do to address lobbying and political donations, Cathy McGowan’s proposal sets up the machinery to combat bribery and corruption and build a culture of integrity among parliamentarians, their staff and public servants.”