Media Release

Call for written submissions—Establishment of an Independent Integrity Commissionin the ACT

On Thursday 15 December 2016, the Legislative Assembly established the Select Committee on an Independent Integrity Commission to consider the feasibility of the establishment of an independent integrity commission in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

The Committee is calling for written submissions to the Inquiry and will also directly invite key stakeholders, interest groups and organisations, to lodge submissions as part of the Inquiry. The Inquiry’s terms of reference (Tof R) are available at: Submissions should address some or all of the T of R. The call for submissions closes on Friday 19 May 2017. The Committee will be releasing an issues paper mid-March 2017.

‘It is vital that the ACT community has public trust in its government institutions and public administration in the Territory. The opportunity to consider the effectiveness of the existing integrity framework in the Territory to prevent and respond to corruption and the merits of establishing an independent integrity body tasked with this purpose is important. As such, this inquiry can make a meaningful contribution to safeguarding and preserving community confidence in theintegrity of public administration in the Territory,’ the Committee Chair, Mr Shane Rattenbury MLA, said.

Specifically, as part of the T of R—the Committee has been asked to consider the most effective and efficient model of an independent integrity commission for the ACT and to make recommendations on: (i) the appropriateness of adapting models operating in other similarly-sized jurisdictions; (ii) the personnel structure of the commission to ensure the appropriate carriage of workload; (iii) governance and funding that delivers independence; (iv) the powers available to a commission; (v) the educative functions of a commission; (vi)issues regarding retrospectivity, including human rights, and the timeframes around which former actions can be assessed; and (vii) the relationship between any commission and existing accountability and transparency mechanisms and bodies in the ACT.

The Committee Chair added, ‘the Committee encourages interested individuals and key stakeholder groups and organisationsto make a written submission to this important inquiry’. The Committee expects to commence holding public hearings in July 2017. Further information on the Inquiry is available at:

MEDIA INVITATION—The Committee Chair will be available for interview/comment:

Day / Date / Time / Meet
Monday / 27 February 2017 / 11:00am / Courtyard—adjacent to the Chamber—ACTLegislative Assembly

STATEMENT ENDS—Monday 27 February 2017

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contacts: / Mr Shane Rattenbury MLA
(for comment on the inquiry) / Committee Chair / (02) 620 50005
Dr Andréa Cullen
(for further information) / Committee Secretary / (02) 620 50142