Labor integrity commission to investigate allegations from a ‘long time ago’

Labor expects its proposed national integrity commission will examine alleged misconduct from as far back as 15 years, with both former and current politicians eligible to be investigated under a broad definition of corruption. Unlike the Coalition, Labor has promised to create an integrity body with retrospective powers, meaning it could examine decisions taken before… Read More

‘Scary’: Federal integrity body becomes an issue in battle for Brisbane

Queensland Liberal MP Trevor Evans has warned the crowd at a candidates’ forum in his marginal inner-Brisbane seat about the “scary” outcomes experienced by some of those investigated by state anti-corruption bodies. And despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s refusal to commit to setting up such an agency if the Coalition is returned to government after… Read More

When will there be a federal ICAC or anti-corruption commission? What are the parties promising?

Barnaby Joyce does not think many Australians will actually care that a national anti-corruption watchdog is still a pipedream when they cast their vote. The Deputy Prime Minister’s latest comments on why the Coalition has walked away from its 2019 election pledge to establish a Commonwealth integrity commission show the political calculation made in the… Read More

‘Public hearings expose corruption’: legal experts back federal ICAC as Scott Morrison ditches promise

Integrity experts have backed a public model of a federal corruption watchdog as the prime minister ditches his promise to establish one. Scott Morrison said a federal watchdog hosting public hearings would become a “kangaroo court” that would tarnish people’s reputations. But top silks say a federal model would be ineffective without public examinations with… Read More

Morrison walks from federal integrity commission, blames Labor

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has abandoned his 2019 election promise to establish a federal integrity commission, blaming Labor for not supporting the government’s model, as Opposition leader Anthony Albanese accused him of wanting to shield his ministers from corruption probes. Morrison sought to pin the blame on the Opposition for the failed commitment, saying his… Read More

MPs contradict Morrison on federal ICAC

Written by Finbarr O’Mallon on April 15 2022. Originally published in the Northern Beaches Review. Government frontbenchers have tried to walk back the prime minister’s lack of commitment to establishing a federal corruption watchdog if he wins next month’s election. Scott Morrison this week backflipped on a 2019 election promise to establish a federal anti-corruption… Read More

Labor: Corruption watchdog ‘overdue’

Written by Tess Ikonomou. Originally published in the Northern Beaches Review on APRIL 14 2022 A vote for Labor will be a vote for a “long overdue” national anti-corruption watchdog, the party’s election campaign spokesman says. Jason Clare criticised Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Wednesday afternoon over his refusal to commit to establishing a commission.… 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

Albanese challenges PM on federal corruption watchdog amid $55b grant concerns

Written by Finbar O’Mallon and originally published on 7news.com.au on 19 April 2022 Scott Morrison says he’ll only introduce his highly criticised model for a federal anti-corruption body if Labor promises to let it through unchanged. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has promised to legislate a federal anti-corruption commission by the end of the year if… 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

Federal budget cuts to integrity bodies spark calls for independent funding

Written by Christopher Knauss. Originally published in the Guardian on March 31 2022 Key integrity bodies suffered direct cuts to their funding in the federal budget, while others continue to be starved of the resources they need to hold the government accountable, analysis reveals. Tuesday night’s budget reduced funding for the commonwealth ombudsman, the administrative… Read More

Scott Morrison’s mystery $13.8 billion campaign war chest

A campaign war chest worth $13.8 billion will help fund a seat-by-seat battle for power at the election after the federal government set up dozens of funds in Tuesday’s budget to woo voters with promises that range from big energy projects to local community schemes. The election strategy pours taxpayer funds into programs that do… Read More

Political party donation profiles – 1998/9-2019/20

Australian political parties reported receiving over $1.24 billion in donations in the 22 years from 1998/99 – 2019/2020. Both donor and party-reported disclosures to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) reveal that the financing of our political parties is dominated by large and opaque donations. Donations peak in election years, suggesting that private interests seek to… Read More

‘I take responsibility’: McKenzie doesn’t know who changed grants list

By Katrina Curtis, originally published by the Sydney Morning Herald on the 12th of February 2021. Former minister Bridget McKenzie doesn’t know who in her office changed a list of sports club projects receiving taxpayer money after she signed off on it and wouldn’t tell a parliamentary inquiry whether she had tried to find out.… Read More

Federal anti-ICAC forces ‘to exploit sympathy for Gladys Berejiklian’s plight’

By Stephen Rice, originally published on October 19 in The Australian. The last time Stephen Charles QC heard the words “my little mate” at a corruption inquiry was 34 years ago, as a young barrister probing the scandal that nearly ended the reign of legendary NSW premier Neville Wran. A few days ago he listened… Read More

ABC: Lawyer X prosecutions doubtful due to lack of resources for ‘mammoth task’, Victorian anti-corruption body IBAC says

Originally published on the 18th of September by Sarah Farnsworth at the ABC Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog has expressed serious doubt about whether any criminal charges will flow from the Lawyer X scandal. The royal commission into the scandal is considering whether individual police officers have committed criminal offences by using gangland barrister Nicola Gobbo against… Read More