Last week the government rejected an inquiry into an independent parliamentary office to advise member and senators on science. It was wrong, says Senator Carr

In Features this morning he makes the case for expert advice in the national interest available to all members and senators. “One of the lessons of the pandemic has been that trust in public institutions increases when people see that decisions are made in accordance with informed advice.

“We need to be rebuild trust in Parliament, because if Parliament is trusted to do its job properly, trust in government will be rebuilt too. People trust governments they know are being held to account.”