Former MPs land plum taxpayer-funded jobs in flurry of election eve appointments
On the cusp of calling an election, the Federal Government has made a rush of appointments to boards, advisory councils and postings.
Key points:
- Seven of the 49 appointments made after the Budget went to former Coalition MPs and senators
- Labor has threatened to overturn some appointments that have been described as "utterly outrageous"
- Senate Leader Mathias Cormann said the decisions were "good housekeeping"
There have been close to 50 appointments to taxpayer-funded roles in a little over a week, with former Liberal and Nationals MPs landing plum positions.
The Opposition is threatening to dump some of them if Labor wins the election, describing the appointments as "outrageous".
Since the Federal Budget was handed down last week, the Coalition has announced 49 appointments, with another 100 or so having been filled in the preceding weeks.
Of the 49, seven went to former Liberal or National Party MPs and senators, including:
- former Liberal Party president, senator and arts minister Richard Alston to the National Gallery of Australia council
- former Liberal MP Phillip Barresi to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation board
- former Liberal MP Ewen Jones to the board of the National Film and Sound Archive,
- former Liberal MP Chris Pearce to the board of Creative Partnerships Australia,
- former Victorian state Nationals MP Hugh Delahunty to the Sports Australia board,
- former ACT Liberal MP Tony De Domenico to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation board,
- former Liberal senator Karen Synon to the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation board.
Other appointments include former Liberal staffers Malcolm Roberts and Philip Lindsay to the Productivity Commission and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, respectively.
A few weeks earlier, former National Party federal director Scott Mitchell was appointed to the board of Snowy Hydro.
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen has described the appointments as "utterly outrageous".
"Clearly there are some here which are just way over the top."
Mr Bowen said if Labor wins the federal election, it would consider dumping some of the appointments.
"The individual ministers in their portfolios would be entitled to look at them, assess what their rights are under the Act, and take appropriate action," he said.
"We will not feel duty bound to honour them if we have the legal right to remove people."
'Good housekeeping': Cormann
The Government's Senate Leader, Mathias Cormann, defended the flurry of appointments, describing it as "good housekeeping".
"This is just the Government making sure that as we approach the election, and as we approach a period where decisions can't be made, that the house is in order," he told a Senate Estimates hearing earlier this week.
"There is no suggestion we are in the caretaker period now."
"We continue to operate as the elected Government of Australia … including to appoint people to relevant bodies of government."
Many of the appointments since the Budget have been made by Minister for Communications and the Arts Mitch Fifield.
"The Communications and Arts portfolio has 222 board positions, a number of which were due and have been filled in the usual way," he told the ABC in a statement.
"Only nine of the 222 board members have served in Parliament, which includes former Labor Leader Simon Crean."
The Federal Government will not be able to make any appointments once the election is called and caretaker mode begins.
Shadow Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the appointments should have already been halted.
"I think when you are this close to an election, a minute to midnight, the Government really should stop," he said.
"They could actually leave these vacancies to whichever government is elected by the Australian people within a matter of weeks."
Controversy surrounds legal appointments
Mr Dreyfus had already raised concerns about Attorney-General Christian Porter's appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT).
"There are some 57 of the appointments the Liberal government has made — to a tribunal that has only got about 250 members in total — have got direct Liberal Party connections."
He highlighted the appointment of Professor Paul Fairall from the Curtin University Law School to the AAT.
"[Prof] Fairall provided a job to Mr Porter when he was between his position as a member of the State Parliament in WA and a member of the Federal Parliament."
"It might be that Paul Fairall is qualified for this appointment but our general concern about the AAT appoints … is that this Government has not had a transparent, merit-based system."
Mr Porter has defended Professor Fairall's appointment.
"He did not appoint me to any position. Appointments were made by the vice-chancellor," he said.
"I was keen to have him on the AAT as he will be one of the most experienced and qualified lawyers that we've been able to attract to the tribunal."