Attorney-General Vickie Chapman pledges $14.5 million to help Independent Commission Against Corruption hold open inquiries
SOUTH Australia’s anti-corruption watchdog will receive a major funding boost, in a move the State Government says will help it prepare for public maladminatration hearings.
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SOUTH Australia’s anti-corruption watchdog will receive a major funding boost in next month’s State Budget, a move the Government says will help it prepare for public maladministration hearings which could start as soon as this year.
Attorney-General Vickie Chapman will on Tuesday announce a $14.5 million cash injection for the Independent Commission Against Corruption. It includes cash for more staff, IT upgrades, office improvements and setting up a special “public hearing facility”.
Last year, the ICAC’s full annual budget was $10 million, and it employed 48 staff.
The funding pledge comes ahead of an appearance on Monday by ICAC boss Bruce Lander at State Parliament’s Crime and Public Integrity Committee, which is examining legislation aimed at letting him hold maladministration inquiries in public for the first time.
Mr Lander has long called for the discretion to hold public inquiries.
The move was opposed by the former Labor government, but has gained unanimous support from the Parliament since the election, as Labor flips its position.
The inquiry is also examining if there should be changes to any of the ICAC’s other powers and responsibilities. Ms Chapman said the new Government was “delivering on its election commitment to facilitate open ICAC hearings in the interests of openness and accountability”.
“The previous government was addicted to secrecy and continually blocked attempts to legislate for open ICAC hearings,” she said.
“Since forming government, we’ve introduced legislation to enable public hearings, and now we are backing that up with funding.”
The ICAC has previously been forced to hold maladministration inquiries into the Oakden abuse scandal and Gillman land deal behind closed doors, despite Mr Lander’s call to give him powers to throw the doors open.
Ms Chapman said the “severe failings” of Oakden had “brought to a head the need for greater transparency”.
“Importantly, the State Government will make arrangements for the design and establishment of a public hearing facility which will allow access to both the media and the SA public,” she said.
Mr Lander’s calls for more funding predated the election of the new government.
In last year’s annual report, delivered while Labor was still in power, Mr Lander argued he needed extra cash to ensure robust investigations.
“Reliance (on other agencies for support) has made sense as the organisation was developing, but making ourselves more self-sufficient is critical to actual and perceived independence,” he wrote.