Booted ministers back at work as secrecy scrutinised
Two ministers suspended from parliament in Australia’s most populous state could spend more time on the sidelines amid transparency concerns.
NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe and Transport Minister John Graham have been suspended from the upper house by the opposition and crossbench for failing to produce documentation.
In an extraordinary development, Ms Sharpe, the government’s parliamentary leader, was expelled for two weeks in May.
Ms Sharpe paid the price for the government’s refusal to release Prime Minister Chris Minns’ statement to police about an allegation of sexual assault against a former Labor official in 2015.
The official is a close confidant of the prime minister.
The issue has been repeatedly raised by former federal Labor leader-turned state independent MP Mark Latham.
Senior coalition MP Damien Tudehope defended the use of suspensions to discipline the government.
“What does the Prime Minister have to hide that he would prefer his minister to be suspended from parliament rather than handing over these documents?” he told ABC Radio.
Ms Sharpe said her parliamentary colleagues “should stop playing games and pass the four bills the government wants to pass immediately”.
“The people of NSW want politicians to get on with the job of supporting families and securing the state’s future,” he told AAP.
The NSW Legislative Council could use a tool known as Standing Order 52 (SO52) to force the current government to hand over documents sought by MPs.
The current Labor government has refused to comply with many calls for documents.
Mr Graham was kicked out of parliament in a scenario repeated on Thursday after attempts by Greens MP Amanda Cohn to force the government to publish a report on hate speech laws were rejected.
Attorney-General Michael Daley appointed respected former NSW Supreme Court judge John Sackar to review the protections in May 2025, which was handed over to the government in November.
The government has said it has not yet published it due to cabinet secrecy and the need to establish a unified policy position.
Clancy Moore, head of Transparency International Australia, said the lack of transparency was not a new phenomenon and had increased in recent years, regardless of the political line of the government.
“We are seeing problems with freedom of information requests and overuse of secret cabinet to prevent information from being made public,” he told AAP.
“At a time when social cohesion and trust in government are at somewhat of a breaking point, it’s really important for governments to do more to be transparent, to disclose information and to be open in their decision-making processes.”
Mr Graham could be suspended from office again when Parliament meets on Tuesday.
