Last month, it was revealed that the overwhelming majority of voters back a federal anti-corruption commission:
Three quarters of voters say there is a need for democratic renewal in the form of a federal anti-corruption commission and a tougher code of conduct for MPs, as part of wider reforms that would also see a rejuvenated public sector return to service delivery.
However, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has played down the likelihood of establishing a federal anti-corruption commission, saying such bodies have mixed records at a state level and that there are already a range of corruption fighting bodies at the federal level…
The Centre for Policy Development has produced a discussion paper on democratic renewal and policy reform based on a survey of attitudes to democracy and government, and a roundtable of 30 eminent citizens.
The survey reveals almost three-quarters of voters think politics is fixated on short-term gains and not tackling long-term challenges…
Now the calls are growing louder, following reports of corruption within the public service. From The ABC:
The number of public servants who say they have witnessed corruption has doubled in three years, reigniting calls for a national anti-corruption commission.
A survey of the bureaucracy revealed 5 per cent of respondents said they had seen misconduct, with cronyism and nepotism the most common charge…
For the first time, the APSC has asked whether staff believed they worked in a high corruption risk environment.
A majority of respondents in 59 agencies agreed this was the case.
Mr Whealy, who is also the president of Transparency International, said it showed the need for an independent watchdog.
“I think there is a significant chance that these figures are very conservative and the level of inappropriate behaviour amounting in some cases to corruption would be considerably higher than these figures demonstrate,” he said.
Leading administrative law barrister Mark Robinson SC said he had no doubt there was corruption at all levels of government.
“Whenever there is discretionary statutory power exercised that is not openly accountable to external and independent scrutiny, corruption can and will flourish,” he said…
A parliamentary committee stopped short of recommending a federal anti-corruption body in September, instead calling for the Government to give “careful consideration” to the proposal.
Quick, time for another smokescreen. Better wheel out the old Republic debate!
