Anthony Albanese says integrity body will be independent of MPs as opposition calls for scrutiny of settlement with former staffer
Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast
Anthony Albanese said it would be “entirely inappropriate” for politicians to direct the national integrity commission to investigate a matter, after the Coalition opposition called for further scrutiny on Brittany Higgins’ compensation payout.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, questioned whether ministers had misled parliament about their knowledge of Higgins’ allegations of rape before they were made public, and if the commonwealth’s settlement had followed an “appropriate process”.
Sign up for Guardian Australia’s free morning and afternoon email newsletters for your daily news roundup
More Stories
Nearly 200,000 Canadians sign petition to revoke Musk’s citizenship
Trump says Putin will accept European peacekeepers in Ukraine
‘You dream about such things’: Brit who discovered missing pharaoh’s tomb may have unearthed another