STATEMENTS BY SENATORS

Senator HODGINS-MAY (Victoria) (13:46): I want to acknowledge International Day of Democracy by acknowledging what a sorry state our democracy is in. Everywhere you look, this Labor government has found new ways to erode trust in democracy. We have the dirty, dodgy invite-only grant scheme, worth half a billion dollars, directed to Labor held seats, including $6 million for a golf club where the Prime Minister holds an honorary membership.

Labor's hypocrisy is extraordinary. They jumped at the chance to scrutinise the coalition's sports rorts scandal but tried to squirm away and amend our Greens initiated inquiry into their own grants rort. Well, not on our watch.

And that's not all this week. Documents released today show Minister Butler's office urged a council to develop a soccer precinct proposal before it had been properly scoped or costed and then pledged $5 million before the election—writing a cheque first and then asking questions later, all to save his own bacon. These outrageous examples are coming across my desk faster than I can call them out.

Today, another doozy has landed. While Labor develops the rules for the gas industry via their botched gas reservation scheme, Minister for Resources Madeleine King has been schmoozed with gifts from Woodside, including free tickets to footy games. How convenient!

How gullible do the Labor government think we are—to believe that the resources minister is regulating the gas industry in the public's interest on one hand while she's holding the other hand out for freebies from the footy clubs and the industry that they're meant to be regulating? Regulating the gas industry in the public interest—honestly, you cannot accept gifts from the very industries you're trying to regulate.

Labor talks a big game on democracy, but, when it comes to integrity, transparency and accountability, this government fails at every step. (Time expired)