Culleton hands Turnbull terms for banking inquiry

The Australian 12:00am November 17, 2016

Rosie Lewis

One Nation senator Rodney Culleton is ramping up his fight for a banking royal commission as he faces possible ejection from the Senate, writing to Malcolm Turnbull to declare it “imperative” that he consider draft terms of reference and establish an inquiry.

Senator Culleton has even suggested a commissioner — Robert Dubler SC, a barrister with Wentworth Selborne chambers — to head his proposed commission, which he wants to report by June 30.

“Based on our last meeting, you asked me to ‘go away and draft up terms of reference that would be suitable to create a banking government inquiry’,” Senator Culleton writes in his letter to the Prime Minister, obtained by The Australian.

“Now that your government has chosen to ambush me in the High Court of Australia, it is imperative to the Australian people that I deliver this for your immediate action … it is inevitable that this royal commission must go ahead without further delay.”

The terms of reference say the royal commission must inquire into more than a dozen matters, including whether banks and governments should take steps to better protect customers, banks’ compliance with international standards, a redress scheme for victims of banking misconduct and the effectiveness of regulators.

Senator Culleton, who has made it his chief priority to help farmers who have lost their properties to the banks after his farm was foreclosed in 2013, has also flagged the terms of reference with Bill Shorten.

A High Court challenge that will test the validity of his election kicks off next week but Senator Culleton insists he will continue to play a big role in One Nation, particularly on banks, if he loses his seat.

He plans on becoming chief of staff to his likely Senate replacement, brother-in-law and former One Nation candidate Peter Georgiou.