Australian Politics Forum - Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues

Bam

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Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm

David Leyonhjelm supported Adani in Parliament after investing in Abbot Point coal port

Quote:

Key points:
* Senator David Leyonhjelm has invested in the Adani Abbot Point terminal corporate bond
* He has voted in Parliament on motions concerning Adani's Carmichael coal mine
* Unlike other elected representatives, federal MPs do not have a code of conduct despite calls for one stretching back to the 1970s

A crucial crossbench senator repeatedly voted in support of Adani in Parliament while owning a corporate bond issued by the group's Abbot Point coal terminal.

And there are no laws or rules governing how ordinary MPs should behave when faced with a potential conflict of interest.

A campaign for a code of conduct that could spell out whether MPs should abstain on voting where they have a personal interest has stretched into its fifth decade.

Movement towards a national integrity commission is also sluggish.

Attorney-General Christian Porter has flagged more work is required before the Government follows Labor's lead and pursues such a body.

"Labor's approach has been to announce a body, but provide absolutely no detail about how it would work," he said on Wednesday.

In September 2016, Senator David Leyonhjelm sought to disclose he was an investor in a corporate bond issued by the Adani Abbot Point coal terminal company through "investment vehicle" Amavid Pty Ltd.

The port company is a corporate entity within the Adani Group that, through a trust, has a 99-year lease of the terminal from the Queensland Government. It is located near coal reserves.

Since then he has voted against several motions from the Greens that were critical of Adani, and has also made public statements in relation to the port or Adani's mine.

The Liberal Democratic Party senator told Sky News in April last year that although "he wouldn't like" the Government providing a loan to Adani for its Carmichael coal mine, he was open to support for a railway "that could potentially be used by other operators".

The speculated railway line would partly connect the Abbot Point port to the Carmichael and other nearby coal mines.

The free-speech advocate has also spoken in the Senate to complain about red tape and environmental activism, using Adani as an example.

Senator Leyonhjelm declined to answer questions from the ABC, including why he bought the bond, how much was invested and whether he thought his actions might constitute a potential conflict of interest.

No requirement to abstain

In contrast to other elected representatives such as councillors, no set of rules exists that governs how ordinary MPs should behave when faced with a potential conflict of interest.

The code of conduct for councillors in Senator Leyonhjelm's home state of New South Wales requires councillors to not be present when a pecuniary interest arises in a matter before them.

John Wanna, professor in public administration and government at ANU, said the absence of federal rules reflected historical assumptions about what Commonwealth MPs do.

"The presumption was that few federal ordinary members would be in contact with public money, make decisions on properties, or face the temptations state MPs and local councillors face," he said.

"Local government people make important commercial decisions virtually every day so have to have strict procedures in place."

A set of ministerial standards cover what government frontbenchers should and should not do, including specific obligations to "make arrangements to avoid conflicts of interests arising from their investments".

It was recently updated when Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull banned sexual relations between ministers and their staff.

Only ministers — not ordinary opposition, backbench or crossbench MPs — are covered by these standards, despite the growing influence of the Senate crossbench.

The votes of past and present Senate crossbenchers like Pauline Hanson, Nick Xenophon and Tim Storer have been influential in passing or blocking legislation in recent years.

(continued)

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Bam

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #1 - May 24^th, 2018 at 1:39pm

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Integrity commission calls

Professor Wanna said a federal Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) "may tighten up conflicts of interest issues" in the federal parliament, or even investigate alleged breaches.

Labor leader Bill Shorten announced in January his party would create a federal integrity commission if it wins the coming election.

However Attorney-General Christian Porter has written to his Labor counterpart saying such a commission "may not be the most effective or efficient option", according to a recent report.

In comments provided to the ABC, Mr Porter argued "this is the worst possible area in which to engage in policy on the run".

"It's notable that of the 20 highest-ranking countries in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, only Singapore (ranking sixth) and Hong Kong (ranking equal 13th with Australia) have national independent anti-corruption commissions," he said.

A 2012 Rob Oakeshott motion that included a draft code of conduct was successful in the Lower House thanks to support from the Labor Party during Julia Gillard's hung parliament.

The push had stalled in recent years until February, when independent MP Cathy McGowan revived the old draft.

Calls for a code of conduct for MPs stretch back to the 1970s, when a Joint Committee on Pecuniary Interests of Members of Parliament "felt that a precise and meaningful code of conduct should exist".

Illegible register

Senators are required to disclose shareholdings, real estate, liabilities, bonds and other potential conflicts on the register of interests.

However, the rules governing the register are not clear on how much information is required for disclosures around investment vehicles, nor how legible the information must be.

In his disclosures following the 2016 election, Senator Leyonhjelm included an annexure listing the investments of Amavid but the page was illegible.

The legibility of the scan only improved following a request as part of a community journalism project known as 'Burn The Register' to make the register of interests searchable.

The investment in the Abbot Point port was only revealed when Senator Leyonhjelm's disclosures were updated with better quality scans earlier this year.

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polite_gandalf Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 20023 Canberra Gender:	Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues Reply #2 - May 24^th, 2018 at 2:07pm And because there is now federal ICAC, there is no law against that.
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lee Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 16400 Gender:	Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues Reply #3 - May 24^th, 2018 at 2:14pm Bam wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm: Senator David Leyonhjelm has invested in the Adani Abbot Point terminal corporate bond So if the Abbot Point terminal doesn't get the extra coal because the Adani mine doesn't go ahead. He could lose money?
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Bam Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 21905 Gender:	Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues Reply #4 - May 24^th, 2018 at 2:46pm polite_gandalf wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 2:07pm: And because there is now federal ICAC, there is no law against that. Not yet - and this conduct by Leyonhjelm is ample proof of why the National Integrity Commission is needed. It's not just the major parties that need this oversight.
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philperth2010

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #5 - May 24^th, 2018 at 2:47pm

lee wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 2:14pm:

Bam wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm:

Senator David Leyonhjelm has invested in the Adani Abbot Point terminal corporate bond

So if the Abbot Point terminal doesn't get the extra coal because the Adani mine doesn't go ahead. He could lose money?

He is trying to guarantee that does not happen by voting in favour of his own vested interest....I fail to see how you could not consider this a conflict of interest...He is also backing a rail line to his investment???

Huh

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lee

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #6 - May 24^th, 2018 at 2:56pm

philperth2010 wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 2:47pm:

He is trying to guarantee that does not happen by voting in favour of his own vested interest....I fail to see how you could not consider this a conflict of interest.

One vote. How many cross benchers against it? Labor against it. The chances seem remote.

philperth2010 wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 2:47pm:

He is also backing a rail line to his investment???

So if the throughput on coal doesn't increase?

At least in a bank he would get bank interest. In a payday loans business he would be laughing.

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philperth2010

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #7 - May 24^th, 2018 at 6:17pm

lee wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 2:56pm:

philperth2010 wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 2:47pm:

He is trying to guarantee that does not happen by voting in favour of his own vested interest....I fail to see how you could not consider this a conflict of interest.

One vote. How many cross benchers against it? Labor against it. The chances seem remote.

philperth2010 wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 2:47pm:

He is also backing a rail line to his investment???

So if the throughput on coal doesn't increase?

At least in a bank he would get bank interest. In a payday loans business he would be laughing.

So it doesn't matter if someone has a conflict of interest as long as their efforts to advance their business interests are not successful....What if the efforts are successful....Double standards or forget about it???

Huh

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Baronvonrort

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #8 - May 24^th, 2018 at 6:34pm

Bam wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm:

David Leyonhjelm supported Adani in Parliament after investing in Abbot Point coal port

[quote]Key points:
* Senator David Leyonhjelm has invested in the Adani Abbot Point terminal corporate bond
* He has voted in Parliament on motions concerning Adani's Carmichael coal mine
* Unlike other elected representatives, federal MPs do not have a code of conduct despite calls for one stretching back to the 1970s

A crucial crossbench senator repeatedly voted in support of Adani in Parliament while owning a corporate bond issued by the group's Abbot Point coal terminal.

And there are no laws or rules governing how ordinary MPs should behave when faced with a potential conflict of interest.

A campaign for a code of conduct that could spell out whether MPs should abstain on voting where they have a personal interest has stretched into its fifth decade.

Movement towards a national integrity commission is also sluggish.

Attorney-General Christian Porter has flagged more work is required before the Government follows Labor's lead and pursues such a body.

"Labor's approach has been to announce a body, but provide absolutely no detail about how it would work," he said on Wednesday.

In September 2016, Senator David Leyonhjelm sought to disclose he was an investor in a corporate bond issued by the Adani Abbot Point coal terminal company through "investment vehicle" Amavid Pty Ltd.

Since then he has voted against several motions from the Greens that were critical of Adani, and has also made public statements in relation to the port or Adani's mine.

The Liberal Democratic Party senator told Sky News in April last year that although "he wouldn't like" the Government providing a loan to Adani for its Carmichael coal mine, he was open to support for a railway "that could potentially be used by other operator

There are no laws against him investing in this he has disclosed it.

The Liberal Democrats usually vote against everything the socialist commie Greens come up with nothing wrong with that.

What is the problem in supporting a railway that can be used by others would the dim wits prefer freight be trucked by diesel burning trucks I thought Trains are meant to be good for the environment.

Of course the ABC would come up with a bullshit story about nothing one of the LDP policies is to sell off the ABC which costs taxpayers over $1 Billion a year.

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lee

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #9 - May 24^th, 2018 at 6:39pm

philperth2010 wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 6:17pm:

So it doesn't matter if someone has a conflict of interest as long as their efforts to advance their business interests are not successful....What if the efforts are successful....Double standards or forget about it???

They are on his register of interests. So if he doesn't vote on a matter and it is on his register; is there a conflict of interest?

Has an Adani Bill been voted on as yet? I can't see a record. Now if he had a secret holding that would be a different matter.

Does any politician hold bank stocks? The banks are under investigation.

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philperth2010

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #10 - May 24^th, 2018 at 6:45pm

Baronvonrort wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 6:34pm:

Bam wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm:

David Leyonhjelm supported Adani in Parliament after investing in Abbot Point coal port

[quote]Key points:
* Senator David Leyonhjelm has invested in the Adani Abbot Point terminal corporate bond
* He has voted in Parliament on motions concerning Adani's Carmichael coal mine
* Unlike other elected representatives, federal MPs do not have a code of conduct despite calls for one stretching back to the 1970s

A crucial crossbench senator repeatedly voted in support of Adani in Parliament while owning a corporate bond issued by the group's Abbot Point coal terminal.

And there are no laws or rules governing how ordinary MPs should behave when faced with a potential conflict of interest.

A campaign for a code of conduct that could spell out whether MPs should abstain on voting where they have a personal interest has stretched into its fifth decade.

Movement towards a national integrity commission is also sluggish.

Attorney-General Christian Porter has flagged more work is required before the Government follows Labor's lead and pursues such a body.

"Labor's approach has been to announce a body, but provide absolutely no detail about how it would work," he said on Wednesday.

In September 2016, Senator David Leyonhjelm sought to disclose he was an investor in a corporate bond issued by the Adani Abbot Point coal terminal company through "investment vehicle" Amavid Pty Ltd.

Since then he has voted against several motions from the Greens that were critical of Adani, and has also made public statements in relation to the port or Adani's mine.

The Liberal Democratic Party senator told Sky News in April last year that although "he wouldn't like" the Government providing a loan to Adani for its Carmichael coal mine, he was open to support for a railway "that could potentially be used by other operator

There are no laws against him investing in this he has disclosed it.

The Liberal Democrats usually vote against everything the socialist commie Greens come up with nothing wrong with that.

What is the problem in supporting a railway that can be used by others would the dim wits prefer freight be trucked by diesel burning trucks I thought Trains are meant to be good for the environment.

Of course the ABC would come up with a bullshit story about nothing one of the LDP policies is to sell off the ABC which costs taxpayers over $1 Billion a year.

I think the fact he only fully disclosed his interest when pushed by a media outlet shows his contempt for the public who elected the wanker....Whilst he may not have done anything wrong there should be a conflict of interest disclosure for all MP's who should then abstain from the vote....We need a Federal ICAC and a code of conduct to address conflict of interest and disclosure!!!

Huh

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Baronvonrort

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #11 - May 24^th, 2018 at 6:47pm

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The Australian
12:00AM April 17, 2017

Senator Leyonhjelm was opposed to advancing a concessional $900 million to finance a rail link for Adani’s Carmichael coalmine in central Queensland’s Galilee Basin because taxpayers’ money should not be advanced to a private company.

“Infrastructure is probably most of the time a legitimate government activity, but lending money to private operators, if the mine doesn’t stack up on its own merits, then it shouldn’t proceed, it shouldn’t need taxpayers’ money to kick it along,” he said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/leave-housing-policy-to-states-leyo...

We should sell the ABC they are not a credible news source and a waste of taxpayers money.

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lee

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #12 - May 24^th, 2018 at 7:09pm

philperth2010 wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 6:45pm:

I think the fact he only fully disclosed his interest when pushed by a media outlet shows his contempt for the public who elected the wanker...

According to the report from the ABC it was illegible; not that he hadn't reported it.

Bam wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm:

In September 2016, Senator David Leyonhjelm sought to disclose he was an investor in a corporate bond issued by the Adani Abbot Point coal terminal company through "investment vehicle" Amavid Pty Ltd.

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Bam

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #13 - May 24^th, 2018 at 7:17pm

Baronvonrort wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 6:34pm:

Bam wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm:

David Leyonhjelm supported Adani in Parliament after investing in Abbot Point coal port

[quote]Key points:
* Senator David Leyonhjelm has invested in the Adani Abbot Point terminal corporate bond
* He has voted in Parliament on motions concerning Adani's Carmichael coal mine
* Unlike other elected representatives, federal MPs do not have a code of conduct despite calls for one stretching back to the 1970s

A crucial crossbench senator repeatedly voted in support of Adani in Parliament while owning a corporate bond issued by the group's Abbot Point coal terminal.

And there are no laws or rules governing how ordinary MPs should behave when faced with a potential conflict of interest.

A campaign for a code of conduct that could spell out whether MPs should abstain on voting where they have a personal interest has stretched into its fifth decade.

Movement towards a national integrity commission is also sluggish.

Attorney-General Christian Porter has flagged more work is required before the Government follows Labor's lead and pursues such a body.

"Labor's approach has been to announce a body, but provide absolutely no detail about how it would work," he said on Wednesday.

In September 2016, Senator David Leyonhjelm sought to disclose he was an investor in a corporate bond issued by the Adani Abbot Point coal terminal company through "investment vehicle" Amavid Pty Ltd.

Since then he has voted against several motions from the Greens that were critical of Adani, and has also made public statements in relation to the port or Adani's mine.

The Liberal Democratic Party senator told Sky News in April last year that although "he wouldn't like" the Government providing a loan to Adani for its Carmichael coal mine, he was open to support for a railway "that could potentially be used by other operator

There are no laws against him investing in this he has disclosed it.

So what if there aren't laws against it? That's why we NEED laws. Strong laws. Otherwise what's to stop corruption?

A Federal anti-corruption commission would do, and stricter rules that apply to ALL our Federal Parliamentarians, not just the HoR or the major parties.

Baronvonrort wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 6:34pm:

The Liberal Democrats usually vote against everything the socialist commie Greens come up with nothing wrong with that.

There is if he's doing so for personal benefit. That's CORRUPTION.

Baronvonrort wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 6:34pm:

What is the problem in supporting a railway that can be used by others would the dim wits prefer freight be trucked by diesel burning trucks I thought Trains are meant to be good for the environment.

Of course the ABC would come up with a bullshit story about nothing one of the LDP policies is to sell off the ABC which costs taxpayers over $1 Billion a year.

You're missing the point. Are you happy that our parliamentarians are openly rorting the system for personal gain?

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philperth2010

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Re: Leyonhjelm's Adani probity issues
Reply #14 - May 24^th, 2018 at 7:21pm

lee wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 7:09pm:

philperth2010 wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 6:45pm:

I think the fact he only fully disclosed his interest when pushed by a media outlet shows his contempt for the public who elected the wanker...

According to the report from the ABC it was illegible; not that he hadn't reported it.

Bam wrote on May 24^th, 2018 at 1:38pm:

In September 2016, Senator David Leyonhjelm sought to disclose he was an investor in a corporate bond issued by the Adani Abbot Point coal terminal company through "investment vehicle" Amavid Pty Ltd.

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If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.
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