The Institute gave evidence yesterday before a public hearing of the Select Committee on the establishment of a National Integrity Commission, arguing that any such Commission must take into account concerns about the NSW ICAC model.
Vice President Malcolm Stewart spent close to an hour with Senators Jacinta Collins, Eric Abetz, Dio Wang, and John Madigan, discussing the Institute’s concerns about NSW ICAC, and indicating how they could be avoided.
Mr Stewart said any federal Commission must not make the same mistakes as NSW, for example by combining the investigative and prosecutorial functions:
It is getting an independent person like a retired judge, who is not tied up with [investigators], who is a doubting Thomas looking at these things, not someone who has got involved with the investigation, who becomes enthusiastic and carried away with it.
Both The Guardian and The Australian discussed the Institute’s contribution to the debate.
The Institute’s full submission to the Select Committee is available here.
