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AAP
AAP
Politics
Andrew Brown

Dreyfus urges integrity bipartisanship

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has urged bipartisanship on setting up a federal integrity body. (Lukas Coch/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has urged bipartisanship on setting up the federal integrity body, calling for the coalition to get on board with the proposal.

The plea comes after the opposition moved amendments to the bill to establish the National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Mr Dreyfus said the changes proposed by the coalition would amount to a veto of the body's establishment.

"The government will not be supporting that amendment and, indeed, I would call on the Liberal Party to withdraw that amendment," he told reporters in Canberra on Monday.

"I would call on the Liberal Party to support the establishment of a National Anti-Corruption Commission, and let's get on with this task that the Australian people voted for at the last election."

Laws setting up the federal integrity body passed the lower house last week, with debate to start in the Senate this week.

The government had pledged to pass laws on the integrity commission, with strong bipartisan support to ensure public confidence in the body, by the end of the year.

With this week being the last sitting week before parliament rises for the summer break, an extra sitting day has been marked down to ensure the bill passes.

Mr Dreyfus said the job of legislating the anti-corruption commission was "long overdue".

"The government is still intending that these bills pass through the parliament this year - that means this week," he said.

Issues have been raised, however, with the integrity body over when it would hold public hearings.

The laws would only allow for such hearings in "exceptional circumstances", but advocates have urged for more public hearings in a bid for greater transparency.

The commission is set to cost $262 million over the next four years.

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