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The government has narrowly staved off the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry into Australia’s largest banks after a Labor motion that would have seen one created failed by a single vote.
Labor and crossbench Senators voted yesterday to set up a commission of inquiry despite government objections, and lower house crossbenchers forced a debate on the motion during Parliament’s final sitting hours. The House vote ended in a 70-70 tie, with Foreign Minister Julie Bishop locked out of the vote and a simple floor majority required for the bill to pass. Outspoken Nationals MP George Christensen, who has repeatedly vowed to cross the floor to support a banking inquiry, sided with the government.
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Alex McKinnon, The Saturday Paper
