Who's up for Integrity awards?

The Accountability Roundtable Parliamentary Awards for the 43rd parliament, that is the pre September election parliament, will be announced tomorrow at an event  at 5.30 in Committee Room 2S3, Parliament House, Canberra.  

The Button and Missen awards are respectively to the minister and backbencher who "have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to the public interest in the performance of his or her role with
 Honesty
 Civility
 Independence 
and/or
 Political Courage, in one or more of the following areas

• Supporting the principles and practice of transparent and accountable government
• Contributing effectively and constructively to parliamentary debate, committee deliberations and/or policy development in a way that promotes and/or supports good parliamentary practice and the institution of parliament.
• Pursuing a change in government policy or practice whether generally or in response to a constituency issue or injustice.
• Protecting peoples’ political and civil rights."

Then Defence Minister Senator John Faulkner and then backbencher Petro Georgiou were award recipients in 2010. 

Picking winners in this sort of contest is of course a no win game.

But Senator Faulkner would have to be in with a strong chance for the Missen to match his Button, along with Senators Xenophon, Ludlam, Rhiannon and from the House, Andrew Wilkie, Tony Windsor, Melissa Parke and Judith Moylan.  

Then Attorney General  Dreyfus may grab the Button for meritoriously rescuing whistleblower protection legislation from the too hard box.


If you are interested in attending the event email joannamesiti@tpg.com.au with name and contact details.