SUBJECTS: Christian Porter breaching ministerial guidelines; secret donations; Porter’s fitness to be a Member of Parliament; Scott Morrison lack of leadership; Anti-corruption commission; Federal Election in Western Australia; Prime Minister’s visit to US and lack of action on climate change. 

ANTHONY ALBANESE, LEADER OF THE AUSTRALIAN LABOR PARTY:The horse has already bolted but Scott Morrison is just trying to shut the gate. The fact is that Christian Porter not only breached ministerial guidelines, something that Scott Morrison couldn't concede today, he also is in complete breach of his obligations as a Member of Parliament. He needs to answer where this money came from. Members of Parliament, as well as ministers, just can't accept money from anonymous donors for a private legal matter. And that's what's happened here. Scott Morrison, once again, has shown that he always acts too little and too late. He hasn't sacked Christian Porter, Christian Porter resigned, so as to try to avoid his obligations to release where this up to $1 million came from. No other Australian citizen can set up a fund and not know where a million dollars just goes into for a private legal matter.

This fails the laugh test. And the fact is Scott Morrison has shown one thing today, which is maybe he does have a sense of humour. Because appointing Angus Taylor to replace Christian Porter as acting minister, Angus Taylor, who himself has been embroiled in scandal after scandal. shows that Scott Morrison just doesn't get it. No wonder this government has avoided a national anti-corruption commission. Well, a Labor Government I lead will have a national anti-corruption commission. It will investigate ministers where appropriate, it will investigate breaches of public faith because we need to restore public confidence in our political system. And Christian Porter's actions do nothing to solve that. And Scott Morrison's rather strange press conference today doesn't solve that either.

JOURNALIST: Mr Porter still hasn’t said how much money he was paid. Is there anything further you can do to prosecute this now he’s on the backbench?

ALBANESE: We absolutely can. He’s in breach of his obligations as a Member of Parliament. There are still many questions which need to be answered. Questions of how much money was put into this fund? How did people know to put money into this fund? Who was it who contributed funds for Christian Porter’s legal case? All of these questions remain outstanding. And Scott Morrison should, just once, fess up with Christian Porter, say where this money came from, how much of it was there, and why was it given. These are all questions that demand answers. This is a matter of public decisions, but it's also a matter of the very clear guidelines which are there. The fact is that Christian Porter was the chief law officer of the land, appointed by Scott Morrison, and with today's actions, and the failure to disclose, he shows he's not fit to be a Member of Parliament.

JOURNALIST: Do you think t's fair for Mr. Morrison to say that he’s now no longer in the ministry, it's effectively not up to him to demand further disclosures?

ALBANESE: Well, of course it's up to him. He's the Prime Minister of the land. And there's a register of pecuniary interests, whereby we have to declare any private interest, any private benefit, that is given to Members of Parliament. Every single member of the House of Representatives and the Senate is obligated to do so. And Scott Morrison, as the Prime Minister of the country, has an obligation to make sure that occurs as well. The fact is that Scott Morrison, all those years ago standing next to next to Malcolm Turnbull in the Prime Ministerial courtyard, said that he was ambitious not to lead himself, but for Malcolm Turnbull to lead. Well, it's the one thing that Scott Morrison has got right, because once again we see a failure of leadership from Scott Morrison.


JOURNALIST: Does this strengthen Labor’s campaign in Pearce?

ALBANESE: Well, the fact is, in Pearce, we have a fantastic candidate. Mayor Roberts will be an extraordinary candidate, and a very strong representative. She's represented the City of Wanneroo very strongly over recent years. She's running a strong campaign, and I'm very confident that we can win the electorate of Pearce along with other seats in Western Australia. Because next election, West Australians will have a clear choice – The Labor Party, supported federally with strong federal candidates and strong federal representation, along with Mark McGowan, WA Labor’s Premier, who has made sure that West Australians are being kept safe, and Scott Morrison. Scott Morrison who stood with Clive Palmer to try to tear down WA’s borders. Scott Morrison, who went to court with costs of up to a million dollars there of taxpayers’ money was spent on that court case, including, remarkably, $42,000 that went to Clive Palmer. The fact is that West Australians will have a clear choice at the next election - The Labor Party that understands the need for infrastructure in WA, that understands the importance of Western Australia as a resource state, and a Liberal Party, frankly, that's taken it for granted. With the removal or resignation of people like Julie Bishop and Mathias Cormann, they've all moved on. They’re in chaos, the WA Liberal Party, all fighting with each other. The Labor Party will be very strong in the West at the next election. I'm confident of that.

JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister heads to the US tomorrow for meetings with President Joe Biden among others. What would you suggest as a priority for those discussions?

ALBANESE: The priority, of course, there will be discussions about the defence relationship. But the other priority, very clearly, of the Biden Administration is real action on climate change. Scott Morrison could start by committing to net zero by 2050, by actually removing Angus Taylor, who's a roadblock to action, by telling Barnaby Joyce that he's not going to allow the National Party tail to wag the dog by taking strong action on renewables, by recognising that strong action on climate change is good for jobs, good for lowering our energy prices, and good for lowering emissions. President Biden recognises that. Scott Morrison and the Australian Government are pariahs on the international stage compared with the action of the United States, the actions of the European Union and the actions of our neighbours in the Indo-Pacific. They all want strong action on climate change. Scott Morrison’s a barrier to that, and only a Labor Government will deliver that.

Thanks very much.

ENDS