Australian politics live: flood waters still rising in parts of NSW; MPs near vote on federal Icac | Australia news

MPs near vote on federal Icac

Martin Farrer

MPs could vote on setting up federal anti-corruption watchdog after debating the matter last night and hearing suggested amendments from independents including Zali Steggall.

She said while the government’s proposed model would help increase accountability and transparency, she did not believe it went far enough:

At the moment there is much too much provision in this bill that keeps it behind closed doors and provides a whole different standard for politicians than the rest of the public.

Another independent, Dai Le, who represents the multicultural electorate of Fowler, pushed for the commission to ensure anti-corruption measurers would not negatively impact the mental health of witnesses called to give evidence.

Coalition MP Bridget Archer, who crossed the floor in the last parliament to bring on debate about Helen Haines’ proposal for an anti-corruption commission, is sticking to her guns by flagging last night that she was supporting crossbench amendments removing “exceptional circumstances” as the test for whether or not there are public hearings, and replacing that threshold with a public interest test.

Katharine Murphy wrote last night:

She’s backed an extension of protections for whistleblowers, and Archer has also argued if the government of the day departs from the recommendations of a parliamentary committee overseeing the new integrity body, the government should provide reasons for that departure.

This won’t make a difference to the final outcome on current indications because Labor has the numbers with the bulk of the Coalition to make exceptional circumstances the legislated test for public hearings – but Archer is remaining true to the spirit of her floor crossing one year ago.

Good morning and welcome to the Australian politics live blog. Amy Remeikis will be here shortly but let’s look at the main stories making news overnight.

• Parts of regional New South Wales remain at high risk of flooding today with the Lachlan River still rising downstream of Forbes in the central west. Helicopters have been used to airlift sheep to safety in Condobolin which is cut off by an inland sea. Residents in Euabalong have been told to evacuate because the river is going to peak at a record 8m today. Some residents in Moulamein in the Riverina have chosen to stay despite a warning that it could be cut off until December.

• The federal environment department allowed the National Farmers’ Federation to attend a meeting about clearing of native grasslands by a company called Jam Land, part-owned by then-energy minister, Angus Taylor. A document obtained by Guardian Australia shows that the department’s own officials said allowing the NFF to attend would not normally be “acceptable” and could set the wrong precedent. This is Lisa Cox’s exclusive story.

• We also have a report this morning that the Liberal party is expected to allow members the freedom to campaign however they wish on the Indigenous voice to parliament referendum, defying advice from former prime minister John Howard. Even Liberal supporters say the government must give more information about the voice and conduct a parliamentary inquiry before they could pledge their support.