The claim is **PARTIALLY TRUE** but oversimplifies the changes.
2013 2013 年 nián 12 12 月 yuè , , 總理 zǒng lǐ Tony Tony Abbott Abbott 確實 què shí 發布 fā bù 了 le 新 xīn 的 de 部長 bù zhǎng 標準 biāo zhǔn , , 修改 xiū gǎi 了關 le guān 於 yú 部長 bù zhǎng 股份 gǔ fèn 持有 chí yǒu 的 de 要求 yāo qiú 。 。
In December 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott did release new ministerial standards that altered requirements regarding share ownership for ministers.
包括 bāo kuò SBS SBS News News 、 、 news news . . com com . . au au 和 hé 9News 9News 在 zài 內 nèi 的 de 多個 duō gè 媒體 méi tǐ 報導 bào dǎo 證實 zhèng shí , , Abbott Abbott 政府 zhèng fǔ 放寬 fàng kuān 了關 le guān 於 yú 聯邦 lián bāng 部長 bù zhǎng 商業 shāng yè 利益 lì yì 的 de 規定 guī dìng , , 允許 yǔn xǔ 他們 tā men 在 zài 一定 yí dìng 條件 tiáo jiàn 下 xià 持有 chí yǒu 公司 gōng sī 股份 gǔ fèn [ [ 1 1 ] ] [ [ 2 2 ] ] [ [ 3 3 ] ] 。 。
News reports from multiple outlets including SBS News, news.com.au, and 9News confirmed that the Abbott government relaxed rules regarding federal ministers' business interests, allowing them to hold company shares under certain conditions [1][2][3].
The Abbott code did not eliminate all requirements to divest shares that created conflicts - rather, it changed the threshold and mechanisms for determining when shares must be divested.
The Howard Government Precedent (1996-2007)**
The claim omits crucial historical context: under former Prime Minister John Howard's ministerial code of conduct, ministers were "simply required to sell shares in companies that came under their area of portfolio responsibility" [4].
The Rudd Labor Government's Stricter 2007 Code**
Kevin Rudd's Labor government introduced significantly stricter "Standards of Ministerial Ethics" in December 2007, which the Abbott code replaced.
Kevin Kevin Rudd Rudd 的 de Labor Labor 政府 zhèng fǔ 在 zài 2007 2007 年 nián 12 12 月 yuè 推出 tuī chū 了 le 更 gèng 為 wèi 嚴格 yán gé 的 de 「 「 部長 bù zhǎng 道德 dào dé 標準 biāo zhǔn 」 」 , , Abbott Abbott 的 de 守則 shǒu zé 取代 qǔ dài 了 le 這一 zhè yī 標準 biāo zhǔn 。 。
Under Rudd's code, ministers were "banned from owning shares unless they are held in superannuation funds, publicly-listed funds or in a trust where the minister has no influence over investment decisions" [4].
This was described at the time as requiring ministers "to conduct themselves to a higher standard of conduct than had been the case in the past" [5].
**3.
Section 8.2 required that "Ministers should ensure that dealings with lobbyists are conducted consistently with the Lobbying Code of Conduct, so that they do not give rise to a conflict between public duty and private interest" [6].
Abbott Abbott 的 de 守則 shǒu zé 仍 réng 包含 bāo hán 解決 jiě jué 利益 lì yì 衝突 chōng tū 的 de 條款 tiáo kuǎn 。 。
The changes specifically addressed pecuniary interests and shareholdings but did not wholesale remove conflict of interest requirements.
While the factual reporting is reliable, the framing emphasizes the "winding back" of standards without fully contextualizing that this represented a return toward Howard-era standards rather than an unprecedented relaxation.
**Did Labor do something similar?**
Search conducted: "Labor government ministerial code of conduct share ownership changes comparison"
**Finding:** Labor's Rudd government actually implemented the *stricter* code that Abbott later modified.
* * * *
In 2007, Rudd introduced the "Standards of Ministerial Ethics" which explicitly banned ministers from owning most individual shares [4][5].
This was a significant tightening compared to both the preceding Howard government and the subsequent Abbott government.
**Key comparison points:**
- **Howard (1996-2007):** Ministers only had to divest shares in companies directly related to their portfolio [4]
- **Rudd/Gillard Labor (2007-2013):** Ministers banned from owning most individual shares; only superannuation, publicly-listed funds, or blind trusts allowed [4][5]
- **Abbott Coalition (2013-2015):** Relaxed to allow shareholdings in publicly listed companies [1][2]
**Assessment:** Labor's approach was demonstrably stricter on this specific issue.
**The Policy Rationale:**
While critics viewed the Abbott changes as reducing accountability, the government likely justified the changes on practical grounds.
The Howard-era approach of case-by-case portfolio-based divestment may have been seen as more workable while still addressing direct conflicts.
**International Context:**
Australian ministerial standards are comparable to other Westminster systems.
Howard Howard 時代 shí dài 按個案 àn gè àn 職責範圍 zhí zé fàn wéi 撤資 chè zī 的 de 做法 zuò fǎ 可能 kě néng 被 bèi 認為 rèn wèi 更易 gēng yì 執行 zhí xíng , , 同時 tóng shí 仍 réng 能 néng 解決 jiě jué 直接 zhí jiē 利益 lì yì 衝突 chōng tū 。 。
Most comparable democracies manage ministerial conflicts through disclosure and recusal mechanisms rather than outright bans on share ownership.
* * * * 國際 guó jì 背景 bèi jǐng : : * * * *
The Rudd approach was actually more restrictive than many international counterparts.
**The Unaddressed Issue:**
The real test of any ministerial code is not the text but the enforcement.
As Julia Gillard noted in 2007 regarding the Howard government: "What happened with the Howard government code of conduct... it stopped living and breathing and became empty words on a sheet of paper, and even the most clear breaches of the code were no longer the subject of any punishment" [4].
The effectiveness of Abbott's code depended on whether it was actually enforced when breaches occurred.
**Subsequent History:**
The Abbott code was later modified by Malcolm Turnbull in 2018 following the Barnaby Joyce affair, with changes focusing on relationships with staffers rather than shareholdings [7].
This suggests the share ownership issue, while contentious, was not the only or most prominent ethical concern that emerged during the Coalition years.
The core fact is correct: the Abbott government did change the ministerial code of conduct in December 2013 to allow ministers to hold shares in publicly listed companies, relaxing the stricter Rudd-era ban on most individual shareholdings.
However, the claim is misleading in implying this was an unprecedented weakening of standards.
實際 shí jì 上 shàng , , 這 zhè 部分 bù fèn 回歸 huí guī 了 le John John Howard Howard 政府 zhèng fǔ ( ( 1996 1996 - - 2007 2007 ) ) 使用 shǐ yòng 的 de 方法 fāng fǎ , , 當時 dāng shí 部長 bù zhǎng 只 zhǐ 需 xū 撤資 chè zī 與 yǔ 其 qí 職責 zhí zé 直接 zhí jiē 相關 xiāng guān 的 de 股份 gǔ fèn 。 。
In reality, it represented a partial return to the approach used under John Howard's government (1996-2007), where ministers only had to divest shares directly related to their portfolio.
Kevin Kevin Rudd Rudd 的 de Labor Labor 政府 zhèng fǔ 在 zài 2007 2007 年 nián 實施 shí shī 了 le 異常 yì cháng 嚴格 yán gé 的 de 標準 biāo zhǔn , , 而 ér Abbott Abbott 的 de 修改 xiū gǎi 則回 zé huí 歸 guī 接近 jiē jìn Howard Howard 的 de 長 zhǎng 期 qī 做法 zuò fǎ 。 。
The Rudd Labor government had implemented unusually strict standards in 2007, and Abbott's changes moved back toward the longer-standing Howard approach.
The core fact is correct: the Abbott government did change the ministerial code of conduct in December 2013 to allow ministers to hold shares in publicly listed companies, relaxing the stricter Rudd-era ban on most individual shareholdings.
However, the claim is misleading in implying this was an unprecedented weakening of standards.
實際 shí jì 上 shàng , , 這 zhè 部分 bù fèn 回歸 huí guī 了 le John John Howard Howard 政府 zhèng fǔ ( ( 1996 1996 - - 2007 2007 ) ) 使用 shǐ yòng 的 de 方法 fāng fǎ , , 當時 dāng shí 部長 bù zhǎng 只 zhǐ 需 xū 撤資 chè zī 與 yǔ 其 qí 職責 zhí zé 直接 zhí jiē 相關 xiāng guān 的 de 股份 gǔ fèn 。 。
In reality, it represented a partial return to the approach used under John Howard's government (1996-2007), where ministers only had to divest shares directly related to their portfolio.
Kevin Kevin Rudd Rudd 的 de Labor Labor 政府 zhèng fǔ 在 zài 2007 2007 年 nián 實施 shí shī 了 le 異常 yì cháng 嚴格 yán gé 的 de 標準 biāo zhǔn , , 而 ér Abbott Abbott 的 de 修改 xiū gǎi 則回 zé huí 歸 guī 接近 jiē jìn Howard Howard 的 de 長 zhǎng 期 qī 做法 zuò fǎ 。 。
The Rudd Labor government had implemented unusually strict standards in 2007, and Abbott's changes moved back toward the longer-standing Howard approach.