The Centre for Public Integrity advocates ending this “revolving door” and enacting tougher post-separation employment provisions and transparency measures. Read More
PwC scandal highlights risks of rampant outsourcing
The ramifications of outsourcing public service functions to the private sector are becoming increasingly apparent in Australia Read More
APS bosses pulled into PwC scandal wringer
The Centre for Public Integrity emphasizes the interconnectivity between political operatives, consultancies, and public servants, Read More
Senators to probe government action on PwC scandal
Centre for Public Integrity, Australia’s leading anti-corruption think tank, highlighting a 400% surge in contracts with the “big four” consultancies over the past decade. Read More
PwC scandal: company stands down employees involved in alleged misuse of tax information
Officials confirmed at Senate estimates the AFP has contracts with PwC acting as its internal auditor, raising potential conflict of interest Read More
Stuart Robert should face anti-corruption watchdog, experts say
Integrity experts and former judges propose that the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), Australia’s new federal integrity watchdog, should investigate the actions of former cabinet minister Stuart Robert. Read More
Jim Chalmers flags public service consultant crackdown in wake of PwC scandal
Australian Treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced potential changes in government interaction with private sector consultants following the PwC scandal, though specifics are not yet released. Read More
$4bn APS addiction to Big Four fostered by steady flow of political donations: Centre for Public Integrity
The ‘Big Four’ consulting firms, Deloitte, EY, KPMG, and PwC, have accumulated over $4 billion in federal government contracts in the past decade, Read More
Big four consultancies win $1.4 billion a year in taxpayer-funded contracts
The ‘big four’ consulting firms, including PwC, have expanded their federal business in Australia by 400% over the last decade, coinciding with consistent donations to the major political parties. Read More
Doubts over whether federal anti-corruption body could investigate PwC scandal
Legal experts are uncertain whether Australia’s National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC), due to launch in July, will be able to investigate the ongoing scandal at consulting firm PwC Read More
Summary: PwC scandal will be referred to national anti-corruption watchdog
The PwC tax scandal in Australia is escalating, with calls from the Centre for Public Integrity, the nation’s leading anti-corruption think tank, for the Commonwealth anti-corruption commission to investigate the matter. Read More
Corruption experts condemn Andrews over IBAC report
Anthony Whealy, former judge and chairman of the Centre, criticised the state’s anti-corruption legislation for only identifying criminal conduct and failing to account for “grey” corruption. Read More
Canberra lobbying must be reined in. Here’s how we can protect our democracy
Summary The Centre for Public Integrity, in a recent study, highlighted how the Australian federal lobbying practices and regulations have been subverted, resulting in secrecy, corruption, and unfair access and influence. The past few decades have seen the Australian government’s climate change policy heavily influenced by fossil fuel lobbyists, an epitome of the OECD’s “policy… Read More
Release of government documents to the public is declining under the Albanese government
Under the Albanese administration, compliance has fallen to a mere 20.4%, compared to the 92% rate recorded in 1993-96, and 48.7% Read More
Albanese ’worse than Morrison’ on secrecy, says integrity body
The Albanese government has been marked as more secretive than its predecessor, the Morrison government, by frequently using “public interest immunity” claims to keep documents confidential, Read More
Daniel Andrews’ dismissal of IBAC ‘awful, offensive’, says former judge
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has been heavily criticised by Stephen Charles KC, retired Court of Appeal judge and board member of the Centre for Public Integrity, Australia’s leading anti-corruption think tank, for his response to findings of misconduct in his government. Andrews dismissed the findings, which revealed improper influence and misconduct in the awarding of… Read More
‘Beyond the realms of acceptable spin’: Integrity experts slam Andrews for downplaying IBAC report
Integrity experts have criticised Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews for misrepresenting the findings of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC). Read More
Premier Daniel Andrews under pressure to act on ‘grey corruption’ after IBAC report
Australia’s leading anti-corruption think tank, the Centre for Public Integrity, has joined the call for quick action following a report on “grey corruption” in Victorian politics. Read More
Former Ibac head could face integrity committee after making allegations against Victorian MPs
Robert Redlich, former head of Victoria’s (IBAC), may be required to provide evidence before a revamped integrity and oversight committee Read More
Pork-barrelling should be banned under ministerial code: ex-ICAC boss
Summary: Call for Pork-Barrelling Ban in Federal Ministerial Code of Conduct Peter Hall, former chief of the NSW corruption watchdog, advocates for a ban on pork-barrelling in the federal Ministerial Code of Conduct, arguing that it can equate to criminal conduct when public funds are allocated for party-political gain. This push is part of the… Read More
Media Release – “Time to act on pork barrelling” Former ICAC Commissioner
The former Chief Commissioner of NSW ICAC, the Hon Peter Hall KC, has today called for action to strengthen the administration of Commonwealth grants. Speaking as the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit holds inquiry hearings into Commonwealth grants administration, Mr Hall has advocated that pork barrelling be included in the Ministerial Code of… Read More
Teals set to fight Canberra’s ‘jobs for mates’ culture
The private member’s bill aims to ensure more transparency and integrity in the selection process for roles in key government bodies such as the National Anti-Corruption Commission and AEC Read More
MP pushes for new laws to end ‘jobs for mates’ culture
Summary Independent MP Sophie Scamps is advocating for a more transparent and impartial process for major government-appointed jobs in Australia. In her first private member’s bill, she plans to propose the establishment of a public appointments commissioner to mediate an independent recruitment process, preventing governments from gifting lucrative positions to political allies. This proposal, drafted… Read More
Media release – Joint statement on the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill 2022
As the NACC Bill returns to Parliament today, the country’s leading integrity organisations and experts are making a united call for the elimination of the ‘exceptional circumstances’ threshold for public hearings. The Centre for Public Integrity, Transparency International Australia, the Human Rights Law Centre, the Accountability Roundtable, the Ethics Centre, the Governance Institute and the… Read More
Media release – Public hearings lead to corruption findings
All public hearings by NSW ICAC in the last 10 years have made findings of corrupt conduct or wrongdoing, according to new research by the Centre for Public Integrity. Analysis of annual reports and investigation reports by NSW ICAC show that the claims of reputational damage are overstated, and that public hearingsexpose corruption. The analysis… Read More
Media Release – Corruption experts welcome corruption commission
Press conference 1.30pm at the Mural Hall with Stephen Charles AO KC, Michael Barker KC and Geoffrey Watson SC. The Centre for Public Integrity today welcomed the tabling of the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill (2022). The experts’ analysis of the bill found that it contains strong investigative powers and a broad jurisdiction, and is able… Read More
Media Release – Public hearings crucial to investigating corruption
“Exceptional circumstances” is too high a threshold for the new National Anti-corruption Commission to begin public hearings and will lead to corruption being hidden behind closed doors, Read More
Media bite – ‘Any person’ could be probed by new corruption watchdog: Dreyfus
The Centre for Public Integrity’s chair, Anthony Whealy, has welcomed the government’s move to give the federal corruption watchdog the power to investigate anyone trying to induce public officials to engage in dishonest conduct, widening its scope to capture “third parties” in an effort to improve integrity in government. However, experts say the commission should… Read More
Crossbench concerns over narrow scope of national anti-corruption body
Days out from the likely release of the federal government’s anti-corruption bill, some key crossbenchers are raising concerns it might not be given the level of power they are looking for. Federal parliament will resume next week after a fortnight’s delay due to the death of the Queen, and the government will use the sitting… Read More
‘Unresolved’: Crossbenchers declare sticking points with Labor’s corruption watchdog
Crossbench MPs have declared there are still major sticking points with the federal government’s proposal for a national corruption watchdog as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tries to avoid breaking a key election promise to legislate the body by the end of the year. The crossbench MPs are worried Labor’s integrity commission will not be broad… Read More
Why Star will stay open despite Bell Review findings
The NSW government and the state’s gaming watchdog have little choice but to let Star Entertainment keep its Pyrmont casino open, corporate governance experts say, despite an inquiry hearing evidence of widespread failures at the group. Speaking ahead of the likely release of the Bell Review into Star on Tuesday, some experts believed there may… Read More
Albanese pushed to pass ‘urgent’ integrity reforms after Queen’s death delays
Independent MPs are urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to honour his election pledge to pass laws this year to create a national integrity commission amid growing fears he will miss the deadline and deliver a weaker watchdog than they want. Concern at the delay has spread among crossbench MPs after the government suspended Parliament to… Read More
‘Transparency has been killed by obstruction’ as officials flout FOI rules
Federal officials are flouting their own rules by rejecting fair requests to release documents and disclose the reasons for sweeping decisions, sparking a new warning about a “culture of secrecy” in politics and government. The decisions have created a “clogged and slow” system that drags out many of the 35,000 requests from Australians under the… Read More
Trump’s lesson for us: lies can’t be allowed to flourish
Truth is fundamental to democracy. When citizens cannot tell fact from fiction and leaders spread falsehoods for political advantage, society as a whole is damaged. Read More
What’s climate got to do with electoral reform? More than you might think
What do electoral laws, social media, climate change and secure work have in common?
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Bernard Collaery: The spy case that ignited an Australian secrecy row
For a decade, Bernard Collaery has been at the centre of an extraordinary legal saga in Australia. Read More
Calls for probe into Tasmanian political grants, amid revelation club where Liberal family member is treasurer wins $50k
An integrity expert has called for an independent inquiry into the Tasmanian Liberal Party’s use of a controversial grants fund during the 2021 election campaign, arguing millions of dollars of taxpayer money may have been misappropriated. The Liberals established the Local Communities Facilities Fund as an election promise, and a “Liberal Party Policy team” internally… Read More
Labor to introduce real-time disclosures and slash donations thresholds
Politicians would have to declare political donations over $1000 in real time as part of a sweeping package of integrity measures Special Minister of State Don Farrell hopes to introduce by mid-2023. Read More
Stronger safeguards around lobbying are a must
In any democracy, lobbying is a vital component of the political process, ensuring that varied interest groups can make their case on specific issues to elected officials. It is a source of reforms to policy, from neighbourhood planning to our response to global issues such as climate change.
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Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus orders Commonwealth to drop charges against lawyer Bernard Collaery
Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus has ordered the Commonwealth to drop the prosecution of lawyer Bernard Collaery, four years after he was charged with conspiring to release classified information about an alleged spying operation in East Timor. Mr Collaery was charged in 2018 for allegedly helping his client, an ex-spy known only as Witness K, to reveal… Read More
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
Voters care about integrity – the Andrews government should pay heed
The message could not have been clearer at the last federal election. Voters do not see integrity, transparency and the misuse of public funds for political purposes as esoteric topics for think tank discussion groups, but fundamental issues that go to the heart of good government.
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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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The minister and the lobbyist: Blandthorn siblings face conflict questions
Premier Daniel Andrews’ appointment of new Planning Minister Lizzie Blandthorn has raised conflict-of-interest questions due to her lobbyist brother representing major development, construction and infrastructure clients. In an appointment that has unsettled some senior government and Labor insiders, the premier named Pascoe Vale MP Blandthorn to the sensitive planning role. Her brother, John-Paul Blandthorn, heads… Read More
Media release – Public Appointments Framework – Guaranteeing merit and independence
Corruption experts call for new Public Appointments Framework in wake of AAT stacking Read More
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
Media release – Sharpening the watchdogs teeth
urrently, however, the ability of the IBAC to fulfil its mandated functions is hampered by undue limitations on both its jurisdiction and the use of its investigative powers. I Read More
SA government denies pork-barrelling accusations on sports grants, amid broader national discussion over the practice
Written by Rory McClaren. Originally published by the ABC on June 26 2022. In politics, making good on election commitments should be thought of as core business. But how those promises are created, then delivered, in government can be a minefield for politicians of all political persuasions. From commuter cark parks by the Federal Coalition… Read More
John Barilaro’s New York trade job may be completely above board, but it needs scrutiny
all these questions may be answered in favour of the Barilaro appointment. However from the integrity perspective, they need to be addressed and answered with the utmost openness clarity and transparency. Read More
31 former judges call for the establishment of a National Integrity Commission
Media release embargo 6am 18th May 2022 31 former judges have signed an open letter calling on political leaders to establish a National Integrity Commission. Signatories include former judge of the High Court Mary Gaudron QC, former Chief Justice of Queensland Catherine Holmes AC QC, and former Federal Court judge Michael Barker QC. The letter states: “Despite… Read More