A life dedicated to the law and justice, without fear or favour

This interview with our committee member Nicholas Cowdrey AO QC by Peter Fitzsimmons was published in The Sydney Morning Herald on July 3 2022. Nicholas Richard Cowdery AO, QC, is the longest-serving director of public prosecutions in Australian history, having served in the role for NSW from 1994-2011. I talked to him on Friday morning.… Read More

Siblings’ planning ties highlight flaws in lobbying laws

Lobbying is an undeniable reality of government decision-making in Australia, and the OECD has recognised that it can make a valuable contribution to the democratic process. It also cautions, however, that lobbying can lead to “undue influence, unfair competition and regulatory capture to the detriment of the public”.
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Liberal MP was ‘patron’ of Queensland gun club for which he claimed to have ‘secured’ $20,000 grant

Ross Vasta says he had ‘no decision-making power over the process or the outcome’ in grant to Belmont Branch of the Sporting Shooters Association A Liberal MP said that he “secured” a $20,000 grant for a gun club which lists him as its patron, raising questions about whether he should have disclosed his links to… Read More

Taxpayers fund $55.6 billion in federal grants over less than four years

Taxpayers have funded $55.6 billion in federal grants over less than four years under rules that give ministers sweeping powers to decide the payments, with new research fuelling an election row over calls to establish a national integrity commission to safeguard public funds. The findings show the grants reached $20 billion last year alone across… Read More

Pork barrel politics isn’t just about integrity; it is corrupt

Written by Anthony Whealy. The current chair of the Centre for Public Integrity he is a former NSW Supreme Court judge and a former assistant commissioner of the ICAC. This article was originally published in the Australian Financial Review on May 2, 2022. It is a concern when a major newspaper, in this case, The… Read More

Over $55 billion in grants necessitates new scrutiny framework

A new framework for the administration of government grants is urgently required, according to new research by the Centre for Public Integrity. With over $55 billion in government grants distributed by the Morrison Government, and the Australian National Audit Office finding systemic problems with grant administration, greater scrutiny is vital. The research recommends a tripartite… Read More

Source of $1.5 billion in party income hidden from public view

Media release New research from the Centre for Public Integrity shows hidden money continues to fund our democracy. Analysis of the latest AEC figures shows: The source of $49.55 million in party income was hidden from public view in 2019-2020 The total dark money since 1999 is $1.5 billion More money is hidden in election… Read More

Christian Porter reveals part of legal fees paid by blind trust with funds from unknown source

By Paul Karp, originally published in the Guardian, 14 September 2021. Christian Porter has revealed that part of his defamation legal fees were paid by a blind trust with funds from an unknown source. The industry and science minister updated his register of interests on Monday, revealing that the Legal Services Trust had paid part… Read More

Calls grow for Victorian Parliament to move online as COVID-19 lockdown drags on

By Bridget Rollason, originally published on ABC News 14 September 2021. The Victorian government has had legal advice for more than a year that State Parliament can sit online, but hasn’t acted on it. Key points: Legal advice has found Victoria’s Parliament can function online Two sitting weeks have been suspended to comply with COVID-19 restrictions The… Read More

Parliamentary democracy at risk from COVID borders

The limited ability for MPs to participate in Parliament online is putting our Parliamentary democracy at risk, according to former judges and accountability experts. The Centre for Public Integrity has published new research that finds: Current Parliamentary procedures allow limited online participation for MPs, with no ability to table bills or amendments, make speeches or… Read More

Grant administration needs overhaul, experts propose 3 crucial reforms

Media release 3rd August 2021. Australia’s system of administering grants is broken and needs systemic reform, according to new research by the Centre for Public Integrity. The research finds that 100% of grant programs audited by the ANAO since 2019 were found to be flawed, with problems identified ranging from minor areas for improvement to… Read More

‘Ministers have too much control’: $10b in taxpayer funds put at risk

By David Crowe, originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald 3rd August 2021. Federal funds are being put at risk in schemes handing out more than $10 billion with inadequate checks on ministerial power, according to a new study of programs ranging from job projects to commuter car parks. At least eight schemes have fallen… Read More

Liberal party donor’s revenue from uncontested contracts for offshore processing rises to $1.5bn

By Ben Doherty and Christopher Knaus, originally published in the Guardian 21st July 2021. Canstruct International, the Brisbane company and Liberal party donor running Australia’s offshore processing regime on Nauru, has won another uncontested contract extension – $180m over six months – bringing its total revenue from island contracts over the past five years to… Read More

Regulations governing conduct of Australia’s federal MPs are weakest of comparable nations, study finds

By Christopher Knaus, originally published in the Guardian 12th July 2021. The failure to implement a parliamentary code of conduct has made Australia’s regulation of federal politicians’ conduct the weakest among comparable nations, research has found. Unlike the United Kingdom and Canada, Australia lacks any enforceable code governing the behaviour of MPs, and unlike New… Read More

Coalition’s proposed anti-corruption commission would have no power to investigate recent controversies

By Christopher Knaus, originally published in the Guardian 9th July 2021. The Coalition’s proposed federal anti-corruption body would have no power to investigate dozens of integrity, expense and pork-barrelling controversiesthat havecome to light in recent years, the Guardian has found. An analysis of 40 political controversies, conducted jointly by Guardian Australia and the Centre for… Read More

Opposition demands answers over “parking rorts”

Originally published on ABC 7.30 Report, 29th June 2021. SCOTT MORRISON, PRIME MINISTER: Last week, David and I together with Alan Tudge, outlined our plan, serious plan, to manage population growth across Australia and a key component of that plan was the urban congestion-busting fund. ELIAS CLURE, REPORTER: Seven weeks out from the last election,… Read More

Government ducked scrutiny on state of emergency powers, integrity group says

By Michael Fowler, originally published in the Age, 23rd June 2021. The Victorian government avoided scrutiny on its wide-reaching state of emergency powers last year through a technicality, an independent group of lawyers has found. As the Andrews government privately negotiates specific pandemic laws to permanently replace the state of emergency when it expires in… Read More

Victorian Government avoiding scrutiny of COVID response

Media release 23rd June 2021. The Victorian Government is avoiding scrutiny of its COVID response, according to new research from the Centre for Public Integrity. The research finds: The COVID response has seen excessive power placed in the hands of individual Ministers and the Chief Health Officer; These powers have been exercised by public health… Read More

Stakeholders in consensus on CIC – not fit for purpose

Media release The Government is the only major supporter of its CIC bill, Analysis of major stakeholder’s submissions to the draft CIC bill show that there is virtually unanimous opposition to the CIC’s jurisdiction and powers. The Centre for Public Integrity analysed 18 organisation’s submissions and found that: No organisation supports the CIC’s split into… Read More

Independent Funding Tribunal required to stop political cuts to accountability institutions

Media release An Independent Funding Tribunal is required to ensure accountability institutions budgets remain safe from political meddling, according to new research from the Centre for Public Integrity. The Tribunal would follow the model set by the Remuneration Tribunal, including with the powers to inquire into and determine appropriate funding levels. The Centre’s research sets… Read More

Commonwealth Integrity Commission has ‘serious deficiencies’: Judges, police and lawyers

By David Crowe, originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald 25th May 2021. A federal pledge to crack down on corruption is struggling to gain support from police and legal experts who believe the draft plan is too weak to catch politicians and public servants who break the law. Corruption experts are urging the government… Read More

Zero, zlich, nada: the saddest number in the budget was the ‘0’ for government integrity

By Anthony Whealy, originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald on 19th May 2021. The budget is now well and truly out and about. At face value, it looks attractive and is likely to succeed as a political lever to the government’s continuation in power: childcare, aged care, women’s protections. The overall theme, “recovery budget”,… Read More

Federal anti-corruption body won’t be operational before next election, budget papers reveal

By Christopher Knaus, originally published in the Guardian 12th May 2021. The Coalition is not planning for its anti-corruption commission to be up and running prior to the next election, the budget papers reveal, prompting allegations it has “no real intention of acting on corruption”. The Commonwealth Integrity Commission model has been beset by delay… Read More

Government’s broken promise on integrity commission

Media release 12 May 2021 Corruption experts have raised concern over the Government’s broken promise to establish an integrity commission before the next election. The 2021-22 Federal Budget provides zero funding and zero staff for the Commonwealth Integrity Commission, despite being announced 2.5 years ago. “Australia urgently needs a National Integrity Commission. The Government has… Read More

Mates getting plum government jobs? There must be an election coming up

By Jenna Price, originally published in the Sydney Morning Herald 4th May 2021. Seriously, this is the worst. In the last five months, 13 former Liberal MPs and political staffers have been appointed to federal government jobs. Don’t imagine it’s a burst of recent activity though. By 2019, the Liberal government had managed to appoint… Read More

Leppington triangle: Coalition’s $30m purchase of airport land ‘incompetent or corrupt’

By Michael McGowan, originally published in the Guardian 29th April 2021. The federal government’s controversial $30m purchase of the Leppington triangle site was either the result of “gross incompetence or corruption”, a parliamentary inquiry has heard. Geoffrey Watson SC, the director of the Centre of Public Integrity, told a Senate inquiry the purchase of a… Read More

‘Deeply concerning’: government consultant made millions from NSW environmental offsets

By Lisa Cox, originally published in the Guardian 28 April 2021. An environmental consultant who holds interests in a property that made more than $40m selling conservation offsets to governments is part of a consortium that has made tens of millions of dollars more, Guardian Australia can reveal. Steven House is a former director of… Read More

Warning over political donors as minister rejects claim he favoured gas

By Mike Foley, originally published in the SMH on 12th April 2021. An anti-corruption advocate has warned political donations are undermining public confidence in plans for a gas-fired economic recovery, as Energy Minister Angus Taylor rejects an allegation he pressured an energy agency to alter its modelling to favour gas. The Centre for Public Integrity’s… Read More

Calls for urgent integrity review of public transport amid IBAC probe

By Timna Jacks, originally published in the Age 3rd April 2021. A former counsel assisting NSW’s anti-corruption watchdog has joined the Victorian opposition in calling for an urgent, wide-ranging audit of Victoria’s public transport contracts in the wake of allegations of serious corruption on Melbourne’s railways. Six months after the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission launched… Read More

Former corruption commissioner blasts NSW cuts to integrity agencies as ‘alarming’

By Christopher Knaus, originally published on the 25th of March 2021. A former New South Wales anti-corruption commissioner has slammed the state government’s plan to cut $14m from five key integrity agencies, describing it as “alarming”. Responses to budget estimates on Wednesday showed the Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac) and the NSW ombudsman both face cuts of $3.4m, while… Read More

‘Muddies the waters’: Lawyer says Porter can’t form integrity body while facing rape accusation

By Chip Led Grand, originally published on the 23rd of March in the Age. One of Australia’s most respected anti-corruption lawyers says Attorney-General Christian Porter should not have responsibility for establishing a Commonwealth Integrity Commission while he is facing an unresolved rape allegation. Former Queensland Criminal Justice Commission director Mark Le Grand said the flaws… Read More

Why Christian Porter and Scott Morrison are utterly wrong about the ‘rule of law’

By Geoffrey Watson, Director of the Centre for Public Integrity, originally published on 5th of March 2021 by the New Daily. The appeal for protection under the “rule of law” made recently by Scott Morrison and Christian Porter is not only a bad argument, it tends to undermine the rule of law. At its heart the rule… Read More