Premier Peter Malinauskas’ Labor cabinet ministers to face new code of conduct behaviour crackdown

SA’s political leaders face a new behaviour crackdown in the New Year in the wake of the Vickie Chapman controversy.

A new state ministerial code of conduct has been delayed for months, with senior government sources saying the sticking point is arriving at a definition of conflict of interest in the wake of the Vickie Chapman controversy.

Premier Peter Malinauskas ordered a review of the existing code, the first in 20 years, just weeks after his landslide election win in March last year.

New rules, based on Crown Law advice and work from the Department of Premier and Cabinet, were expected to have been published in October or November.

Ministers, including Premier Peter Malinauskas, during a cabinet meeting at Government House on September 11 after the Queen died. Picture: State Government

But sources said ministers have been left “paranoid” about what they need to declare.

“It is really hard to define what’s a conflict,” said one government official. “They have been going back and forth and the advice has kept changing.”

Another said: “There are many different ways you can define a conflict or what the perception of having one is. It’s hugely complicated.”

An Ombudsman inquiry cleared Ms Chapman, the former deputy premier and attorney-general, of any conflict of interest in a Kangaroo Island development she vetoed.

Premier Peter Malinauskas with Labor's SA state caucus gathers on the steps of Parliament House on Tuesday Oct 18. Missing is lower house MP Eddie Hughes. Picture: supplied

But that inquiry was in stark contrast to a parliamentary select committee’s findings that sparked a historic vote of no-confidence and led to Ms Chapman standing down as deputy premier and attorney-general.

The Kangaroo Island development issue plagued the Liberal Party in the months before the election. Ms Chapman vehemently denied wrongdoing and she and fellow Liberal MPs attacked the committee as politically motivated.

Over the past few months, some ministers, including Treasurer Stephen Mullighan and Sports Minister Katrine Hildyard, have faced questions over sports club grants.

Mr Malinauskas has insisted both complied with the existing code.

Under state law, ministers of the Crown are under an obligation to advise the Premier in writing as soon as possible after becoming aware of any conflict of interest between their public duty and private interests.

The Premier advises cabinet of any conflict, according to the 27-page rulebook that governs any personal, family, financial or pecuniary interests as well as gifts and cabinet rules.

Breaches can result in a range of consequences including being sacked.

The Premier’s spokesman said the new code would be introduced to cabinet to debate and ratify in the coming weeks.