Public Integrity in Queensland

The Civil Liberties Council today backed calls for a public inquiry into integrity issues in the Queensland Government and the Queensland Public Service, particularly into the Public Service Commission’s alleged meddling in the operations of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner

QCCL Vice-President Terry O’Gorman said that the Council had been watching for some time with a growing sense of unease in relation to the apparent nobbling of the role of the Integrity Commissioner

Mr O’Gorman said that particularly is this so at the moment when the CCC is effectively leaderless and therefore does not command public confidence that it is in a position to properly, promptly and effectively enquire into the quite extraordinary allegation that the Public Service Commission seized laptops and mobile phones from the Integrity Commissioner’s Office and compromised or deleted public records those devices contained without the Integrity Commissioner’s consent.

“Particularly, a public inquiry is needed that this apparent seizure and destruction of computer and other electronic equipment records from the Integrity Commissioner’s Office occurred when that Office was assessing allegations of unlawful political lobbying activity with Palaszczuk Government Ministers”, Mr O’Gorman said.

Mr O’Gorman said the fact that yesterday former State Archivist Mike Summerell supported calls for a public inquiry into integrity in Queensland on the basis that “for many senior public servants in Queensland the concept of an impartial apolitical Public Service is career suicide” serves to highlight the importance of a public inquiry into Queensland Government and Public Service integrity issues.

“The CCC in not in a position to investigate and address the critically important integrity issues raised, particularly, by the allegation that the Public Service Commission meddled in the important independent status of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner not only because it is leaderless but also because it is too slow in finalising important inquiries and investigations”, Mr O’Gorman said.

“The CCC in not in a position to investigate and address the critically important integrity issues raised, particularly, by the allegation that the Public Service Commission meddled in the important independent status of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner not only because it is leaderless but also because it is too slow in finalising important inquiries and investigations”, Mr O’Gorman said.