Federal ICAC, childcare bills on Canberra agenda

Federal parliament will this week consider the cheaper childcare laws and a national anti-corruption commission.

Early years educator Elvie Kelly-Britten with 11-month-old Jasmine Norman at a Melbourne early learning centre. Indigenous children will receive 36 hours of subsidised childcare a fortnight under the Albanese government’s planned overhaul. Picture: David Geraghty/The Australian

Indigenous children will receive 36 hours of subsidised childcare a fortnight under the Albanese government’s planned overhaul, as federal parliament prepares to consider the cheaper childcare laws and a national anti-corruption commission for the first time.

Both bills will be introduced to the House of Representatives this week during a jam-packed three-day sitting, with the government also keen for votes in the Senate on abolishing the cashless debit card and its signature paid family and domestic violence leave.

Indigenous and non-Indigenous children receive up to 24 hours of subsidised childcare each fortnight depending on their family’s income and work arrangements, but Labor wants this to increase to 36 hours for Aboriginal kids in a bid to make early education more accessible.

The measure, which would take effect from July next year, is expected to benefit about 6600 families.

“For the first time, the Closing the Gap report said the school-readiness of Indigenous children has gone backwards,” Education Minister Jason Clare said. “We have got to turn this around and a big part of that is getting rid of the roadblocks stopping them from going to early childhood education and care.”

Mr Clare will introduce the cheaper childcare bill on Wednesday, while the much anticipated NACC legislation will be introduced by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus on Tuesday after it is considered by caucus.

Amid warnings from the ­Coalition and senior barristers to take great caution before creating such a body, Mr Dreyfus’s spokeswoman said the commission would have broad powers to investigate allegations of serious or systemic corruption of or by a public official.

Writing in The Australian, South Australian King’s counsels Michael Abbott, Marie Shaw and David Edwardson say federal parliament should consider the recently amended SA Corruption Commission, which splits mal­administration and misconduct ­issues from corruption investi­gations and leaves these as matters for the ombudsman; has an independent office of public integrity body to decide which matters are referred to the commission; and maintains private hearings.

The Albanese government has pledged to hold public hearings when it is in the public interest.

“The reformulated South Australian act represents the latest thinking – based on local and nat­ional experience – on how to strike the delicate balance of dealing appropriately with serious corruption while protecting the reputation of innocent public officers,” the barriers write. “Without adequate safeguards, corruption commissions have the capacity to operate as a star chamber and to have consequences that are ­significant and irreparable.”

Fifteen crossbench MPs from the Senate and lower house have released six measures they say the NACC must adopt “to do the job it needs to do”. They include strong whistleblower protections, such as a whistleblower protection commissioner; jurisdiction over third parties who seek to improperly influence government decisions and funding; and money for “pro-­integrity” prevention and education measures.

The crossbench MPs include members of the Greens and ACT independent senator David Pocock, whom the government will have to win over if the Coalition rejects its NACC model.

“We won’t delay the process for political games or point-scoring, but won’t be rushed to vote in favour of a bill that doesn’t make the grade,” the crossbenchers said.

Anthony Albanese in April pledged to legislate the NACC by the end of the year but has backed down from the election promise.

The government on Monday will deliver its response to the interim report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide.