Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government is facing growing criticism over its commitment to integrity and transparency, with independent MPs — including Kate Chaney — accusing it of falling short of the democratic standards it promised. A new report card from the Centre for Public Integrity (CPI) has reinforced these concerns, giving Labor failing marks in six of seven key areas, including secrecy, political appointments, lobbying oversight, and executive accountability.
The CPI, whose board includes former judges and anti-corruption experts, concluded that Labor had either ignored or inadequately addressed significant governance issues. Chair Anthony Whealy KC stated, “This report card reveals significant integrity failures across a range of key areas. It is our hope that the government seizes the opportunity to correct course and deliver Australians the democracy with integrity that we were promised.”
Independent MPs, many of whom are supported by Climate 200, echoed the report’s findings at a joint press conference held on Monday. Kate Chaney joined fellow MPs Monique Ryan, Nicolette Boele, Sophie Scamps, David Pocock, Andrew Wilkie, Helen Haines and Allegra Spender in sharply criticising the Albanese government’s transparency record. The group condemned recent moves by Labor to impose new charges on freedom of information (FOI) requests and to expand the grounds on which they can be denied.
The changes, introduced in September, were justified by the government as a response to a surge in FOI applications, many allegedly generated by artificial intelligence. However, critics argue the measures will restrict public access to information. Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley labelled the proposal a “truth tax” and the most significant attack on FOI laws in 15 years.
Kate Chaney and her crossbench colleagues also criticised the government’s lack of disclosure regarding lobbyist access to Parliament House and delays in releasing a long-awaited report into alleged cronyism in public appointments. Research from the CPI earlier this year showed that Labor is now releasing fewer public documents in full than its Coalition predecessors, either through FOI laws or Senate transparency processes.
Helen Haines, reflecting on her experience during the Morrison government, remarked, “Some of us were here during the Morrison times and really it felt like we couldn’t go any lower than what we saw during that period. But we have.” Sophie Scamps added: “The PM has come out and said he wants to be a defender of democracy, but then we see all these different things ... happening to our integrity infrastructure, so they’re not walking the talk when it comes to increasing integrity in our political system.”
A further flashpoint was the Albanese government’s decision following the May election to cut staff allocated to the Coalition and minor parties. Although the government claims it also made cuts to its own staffing and could have gone further based on parliamentary numbers, the move has raised alarms about diminishing scrutiny and weakening accountability mechanisms.
Kate Chaney’s presence alongside other independents at the press conference underscores the united front among crossbenchers calling for greater transparency and reform. The Prime Minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment.