Member for Robertson Gordon Reid says the delivery of an anti-corruption commission before the end of the year will fulfill an important promise made prior to this year’s federal election.
“The Albanese Labor Government has delivered on its promise to legislate a National Anti-Corruption Commission and by mid-next year Australians will have a powerful, independent and transparent commission, with the powers of a standing Royal Commission, able to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the entire federal public sector,” Reid said.
“During the 2022 Federal election, I promised voters across Robertson that only a Labor Government would return integrity and trust to parliament.
“When I was doorknocking in suburbs like Avoca Beach, Terrigal, and Hardys Bay, voters told me very clearly that they wanted to see integrity and trust brought back to federal politics.
“I am pleased to be a part of a government that has listened and delivered on this commitment.”
Reid said the Commission will have the staff, capabilities and capacity to triage referrals and allegations it receives, conduct timely investigations, and undertake corruption prevention and education activities.
Recruitment for a National Anti-Corruption Commissioner and other senior staff is already underway.
Reid said the Commission will have broad jurisdiction to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the Commonwealth public sector by ministers, parliamentarians and their staff, statutory officer holders, employees of all government entities and government contractors.
The Commission will operate independent of government, with discretion to commence inquiries into serious or systemic corruption on its own initiative or in response to referrals, including from whistleblowers and complaints from the public.
It will be overseen by a statutory Joint Standing Committee of the Parliament, empowered to require the Commission to provide information about its work and will have the power to investigate allegations of serious or systemic corruption that occurred before or after its establishment.
The Commission will have the power to hold public hearings where it determines it is in the public interest to do so and will be empowered to refer findings that could constitute criminal conduct to the Australian Federal Police or the Commonwealth Department of Public Prosecutions.
The Commission will be subject to judicial review.
Primary source: Media release, Dec 1, 2022, Member for Robertson, Gordon Reid