Page 2183 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 3 August 2016
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Despite all these available channels—and I think each plays their particular role—the Greens believe there is either a gap or a perceived gap in the work covered by these various mechanisms. Given that these bodies are spread across internal and external agencies—some are independent of government and some are not and some are managed by the Clerk of the Assembly—it is probably quite confusing for most people to figure out where exactly they should be taking a complaint. We must consider how these oversight roles will interact to minimise overlap but also to avoid gaps to ensure the community can have full confidence that any issues of integrity and probity have a clear channel for investigation.
It is in that spirit and having reflected on those points that this weekend gone the Greens announced that we will establish an independent integrity commission. The commission will be responsible for maintaining the standards of conduct, propriety and ethics in the ACT’s public services, agencies and politicians. It will be given powers to conduct investigations into allegations of misconduct and be able to continue investigations where criminality is suspected. It will also, importantly, undertake prevention through education and support for agencies and offices to improve policies and procedures where necessary.
As I noted yesterday, the ACT is unusual in not having an independent investigative integrity body, and we believe it is time for this to change. Even the Northern Territory is on its way to putting an integrity commission into place. If we want the community to place their trust in us and if we are genuinely putting the community’s needs first, we need to have the mechanisms in place to shine a spotlight into the dark corners. We believe an integrity commission is another way to build that community confidence.
I want to be clear: part of the reasons the Greens have made this commitment is because we believe in building the capacity of governance to be able to assure the community that misconduct or corruption is not occurring, not because we believe that it necessarily is occurring.
But when it comes to integrity, the aim of the game—again, as I outlined yesterday—is prevention. That is the view of the experts and the premise on which the New South Wales ICAC and the Tasmanian Integrity Commission operate. We should always ensure that those processes are robust and in place, preferably to avoid and mitigate corruption and misconduct before it happens, as well as investigate it in cases where it does happen or seems likely.
Political donations, close relationships and poor culture can all lead public officials and politicians into the kinds of behaviour that diminishes the trust the public have in government processes. In terms of political donations, I note that Greens were the only party who voted to keep our best practice electoral donation laws in place, laws that were designed to stop corporations from donating to political parties. Both the Labor and Liberal parties voted together to overturn these laws, and it is a shame because we had put the ACT in a very strong position.
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