Australia’s major parties have decided there is no need for a binding code of conduct for politicians.

The Greens recently proposed reforms to establish a statutory, independently enforced code of conduct to govern the behaviour of parliamentarians.

It also called for a parliamentary standards commissioner, who would enforce the code, and an integrity advisor to advise MPs on ethical issues.

The plan was to have more ways to avoid lower-level integrity, behavioural and ethical issues so that they do not rise to the level of corruption.

Parliamentary codes of conduct are already in place in the United Kingdom and Canada, with the UK providing parliamentary standards commissioners for both houses, and Canada having appointed an independent ethics commissioner.

Australia has no parliamentary code of conduct. Federal ministers are meant to adhere to ministerial standards, but they are neither independently enforced nor binding.

A parliamentary committee has reviewed the proposal. The committee was made up of three Liberals, two Labor MPs and One Nation’s Malcolm Roberts.

It has recommended that the Greens’ bill should not be passed.

“The committee notes that previous Senate committees have not recommended the adoption of a parliamentary code of conduct,” it said.

“Based on the evidence before it, this committee is not persuaded that the circumstances have now changed such that there is a strong argument for introducing a code of conduct.”

It argued that an integrity commissioner and adviser would overlap with existing bodies, such as the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority.

“The committee believes the better approach would be to identify gaps (if any) in the existing regimes and implement measures to address these gaps.”

Despite agreeing that the Greens’ plan was unnecessary, Labor has criticised the Coalition for not carrying out its promise to create a federal anti-corruption commission.

Earlier this year, Attorney General Christian Porter said draft legislation for the commission had been delayed due to COVID-19.

The government has missed all of its self-imposed deadlines to introduce that legislation, and the model it seeks to create has been widely criticised as weak and flawed.