Tasmania’s Integrity Commission is being wilfully underfunded by the Rockliff Government.
After Thursday’s State Budget, it remains the lowest funded integrity body in the country and, in fact, faces cuts across the next four years.
Chief Commissioner, Greg Mellick SC AO, warned in last year’s annual report that the Commission is not funded to properly do its work. He gave similar evidence to a parliamentary inquiry and in public comments. All have fallen on deaf ears.
Commissioner Mellick says investigations are being protracted as staff are forced to juggle multiple competing priorities.
Among those long-running investigations, it has been confirmed, are two sitting Liberal MPs. Is that why the government is cutting the Integrity Commission’s funding? It’s a fair question to ask.
Last July Mr Mellick wrote, “We are not deaf to the growing public sentiment that the Commission is not fit for purpose. If we are to fulfil our statutory obligations and meet community expectations, our resourcing needs cannot be neglected.”
He called on the current Parliament to properly resource and empower the Integrity Commission to be the watchdog on public authorities and officials that Tasmanians deserve.
Regrettably, it’s the government that holds the purse strings and they’ve prioritised a new, multi-billion dollar stadium at Macquarie Point.
The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Guy Barnett, also happens to be the Treasurer. This is a choice he made. He needs to explain himself to Tasmanians, and the Commission itself.
