Adding to this pile is a Greens wishlist of 10 matters the minor party says should be investigated. However,Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has stressed the independence of the agency,saying any Australian can refer any matter they believed may have constituted serious or systemic corruption,but “only the commission can determine what matters it investigates”.
The Greens’ pledge to refer Robert,who resigned from the parliament in May,is in line with the view of several former judges and integrity experts that the former cabinet minister should be on the new watchdog’s radar. This follows months of revelations in parliament about Robert’s help for consultancy firm Synergy 360,which sought lucrative deals with federal agencies.
Greens justice spokesperson David Shoebridge said the party’s 15 MPs would work across their portfolios to prepare formal referrals in the coming months,adding that matters likethe PwC scandal would test the scope of the watchdog’s remit to investigate third-party contractors.
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“This list shows just how much work there is to be done by the NACC[National Anti-Corruption Commission] with cases involving gross misuse of grant money,cosy relationships with contractors and tender practices that are so broken they are utterly lacking in integrity,” Shoebridge said.
He said the NACC needed to investigate “further and deeper” into Robert’s dealings with Synergy 360 after a federal government review found that $374 million in taxpayer funds had been spent on contracts linked to Synergy 360 that had question marks over them for conflicts of interest,poor value for money and inadequate record-keeping.
Robert was contacted for comment. He has previously denied helping Synergy 360 and its clients win government work and denied any conflict of interest while he was a minister. Further,this masthead is not suggesting that Robert was paid for his advice and assistance.