Given the Rockliff Liberals’ ongoing integrity challenges, it’s reasonable to ask whether the almost scandalous underfunding and failure to reform the Integrity Commission Act is deliberate on the part of government. If a government is shady, it won’t want an integrity body with teeth.
These funding and legislative reforms have been called for by the Integrity Commission itself, repeatedly. Integrity Commission Chief Commissioner, Hon. Greg Mellick AO, presented to the Integrity Committee of the Parliament today. It was clear Commissioner Mellick is extremely frustrated.
The Committee heard that with Tasmania’s Integrity Commission is receiving about half the funding of its counterparts in similar-sized jurisdictions like the ACT and NT. Its capacity to do timely investigations, and provide education and training for public officers, is extremely constrained.
We also heard the Attorney-General has told the Chief Commissioner he’s very supportive of the call for extra resourcing, but he was having trouble with Treasury. Now the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice is the Treasurer, so that problem should be easy to resolve.
If the Rockliff government can find the funds for a chocolate fountain and a stadium, it can most certainly find the extra $4 million the Integrity Commission needs each year to keep up and build on its vital work strengthening standards of ethical conduct in lutruwita/Tasmania.
