Julie Bishop, Christopher Pyne cleared over post-politics jobs but push for inquiry continues

Push for inquiry continues despite Julie Bishop and Christopher Pyne being been cleared of ministerial standards breach.

Christopher Pyne and Julie Bishop during Question Time in the House of Representatives at Parliament House in Canberra last May.

Centre Alliance senator Rex Patrick will proceed with a motion calling for a senate inquiry into Christopher Pyne and Julie Bishop’s controversial roles with global consulting firms, despite the pair being cleared of breaching ministerial standards.

Mr Patrick said advice provided by the Prime Minister’s departmental secretary on the matter is “troubling” in its omissions.

Government leader in the Senate Mathias Cormann tabled a letter from Prime Minister and the advice Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet secretary Martin Parkinson in the Senate this afternoon.

Senator Patrick responded by affirming that he will move his motion at 3.30pm.

Labor deputy leader in the Senate Kristina Keneally and Greens senator Larissa Waters both joined Senator Patrick in making speeches condemning the government for not taking action against Mr Pyne and Ms Bishop.

Senator Patrick’s motion is expected to succeed with the support of Labor, the Greens and at least four members of the six-member crossbench.

The inquiry would investigate whether Mr Pyne and Ms Bishop have breached the government’s ministerial code of conduct.

The code requires ministers to wait 18 months after leaving office before lobbying, advocating or having business on matters related to their portfolio.

Former defence minister Mr Pyne has been hired by EY to consult to companies in the defence sector.

Mr Pyne and EY have said his role will not involve any direct lobbying and therefore will not breach the ministerial code.

Former foreign minister Julie Bishop has been appointed to the board of global consultancy group Palladium, which has government, corporate and not-for-profit contracts.

She said she was “entirely confident” there has been no breach of the code, stating that all Australia’s foreign aid contracts and tenders are signed at arm’s length from the foreign minister.

Mr Morrison revealed in his letter that he became aware of Mr Pyne and Ms Bishop’s new roles “through media reports”.

Mr Parkinson concluded in his advice to Mr Morrison, that “while there are certain actions available to you when considering the conduct of a current serving minister, and a possible breach of the standards, there are no specific actions that can be taken by you in relation to former minister once they have left parliament.”

“On the basis of the information available at this time, I have no grounds to believe that either Mr Pyne or Ms Bishop have breached the standards,” Mr Parkinson concluded.

Senator Patrick said Mr Pyne could not “unknow” what he knows from his time as minister.

“I’ve read the statement that Minister Cormann tabled today, and it’s troubling, not because of what’s in there, but because of what’s not in there,” Senator Patrick said.

“Mr Pyne was the minister for defence industries and he went on to become the minister for defence.

“He will have been briefed by the department on every project that is currently running, on every future project that’s coming down the pipeline. He will have been briefed on operations, including where there are problems that might need industry’s help to fix. He will have been briefed by commercial entities on what their solutions are to particular problems. He will have been briefed by foreign governments and foreign agencies, and indeed our own security agencies in respect of a whole range of matters that are simply not in the public domain, and when he’s giving advice, it’s not possible for him to formulate advice not considering what he knows.

“That’s hugely problematic. It does raise issues of probity.”

Clearance

Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Martin Parkinson — Canberra’s top bureaucrat — advised Scott Morrison that the former foreign minister and defence minister are not in breach of the ministerial codes after a weeks-long inquiry.

Finance Minister Mathias Cormann defended the former Liberal heavyweights this morning — who both retired before the last election — and said MPs still have to work when they leave parliament.

“What is important is that whatever employment does not leave them in breach,” he told ABC News.

“The advice that the Prime Minister has received the secretary of his own department, independently, is that former ministers Pyne and Bishop are not in breach of the statement of ministerial standards.

Former minister for defence industry Christopher Pyne and former minister for foreign affairs Julie Bishop.

“What I can say is both former ministers Pyne and Bishop are well aware of their obligations … they know what they need to do and I am confident to act consistent with those requirements.”