‘Volcanic crisis in trust’: Opposition calls for ‘Fitzgerald 2.0’ over integrity

Two parliamentary investigations into integrity and corruption issues – including unlawful lobbying – are already underway before the Queensland Parliament, Treasurer Cameron Dick said.

However, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli on Saturday called for a “Fitzgerald 2.0″ royal commission into integrity concerns raised by Integrity Commissioner Nikola Stepanov last week.

“It appears that only the Premier and her ministers don’t believe there should be an investigation into the conduct into the government; lock, stock and barrel,” Mr Crisafulli said, a reference to then-premier Mike Ahern’s original adoption of Mr Fitzgerald’s recommendations in 1989.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is pressured to contain integrity concerns within her government.Credit: Fairfax Media

Mr Crisafulli said the first of the two existing inquiries is the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission’s five-year review of the Crime and Corruption Commission.

“But this is a review of the culture and structure of the Crime and Corruption Commission,” he said.

He described the second review by Kevin Yearbury, the former director-general of the Office of Premier and Cabinet – into problems faced by the Office of the Integrity Commissioner as a “statutory review”, despite it identifying major problems with lobbyists in Queensland.

Opposition leader David Crisafulli says the two existing integrity inquiries do not go the heart of integrity concerns in Queensland.Credit: Matt Dennien

Mr Crisafulli said neither review dealt with what he described as the “heart of systemic corruption in the Queensland government.”

“The systems that are in place are failing and anything short of a Fitzgerald 2.0 is the premier walking away from accountability.”

However, Treasurer Cameron Dick said few Queenslanders understood the depth of the two serious investigations already under way.

The Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission’s report – chaired by the LNP’s Scenic Rim MP Jon Krause – in June 2021 handed down a bipartisan report into the previous five years of the Crime and Corruption Commission activities.

It calls for a new independent funding model for the CCC – similar to New South Wales ICAC – as well as new legal definitions to help investigators, a review of the bipartisan membership of the CCC and additional community representatives.

The Palaszczuk government provided its comments to that five-year review on December 17, 2021.

“We are considering the PCCC report – as the premier indicated yesterday (Friday) – and we will give full consideration of that,” Mr Dick said.

The second review – Mr Yearbury’s review of the Office of the Integrity Commissioner – is now before parliament’s Economics and Governance Committee and has found major problems with investigating the actions of lobbyists.

“The Commissioner has no powers to undertake investigations into allegations of misconduct on the part of registered lobbyists or lobbying by unregistered lobbyists,” it found (page 6).

It recommends investigations be referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission.

“The cost of establishing an investigatory capability within the Office of the Integrity Commissioner would not be a prudent use of public funds when there exists an organisation specifically constituted for the purpose,” it finds.

“The efficacy of the regulatory regimes would be significantly enhanced by the Commissioner having the ability to refer to the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) for investigation: a matter of alleged corruption on the part of a lobbyist, and allegations of unlawful lobbying.“

The Queensland government’s Economics and Governance committee is chaired by Labor’s Logan MP Linus Power and includes the LNP’s long-serving Gold Coast MP Ray Stevens, Coomera MP Michael Crandon (LNP), Macalister MP Melissa McMahon (Labor), the LNP police spokesman Daniel Purdie and Labor’s Hervey Bay MP Adrian Tantari.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Crime and Corruption Commission was already investigating the removal of laptops and mobile phones referred to by Ms Stepanov.

Treasurer Cameron Dick said two existing integrity inquiries - by the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Commission and the review of the Integrity Commissioner’s office - were already underway.Credit: Fairfax Media

Mr Dick said the LNP had no credibility lecturing a Labor government about integrity issues.

“They nobbled the PCCC in the middle of the night in Parliament, they jacked up the donations’ disclosure level from $1000 to $12,000,” he said.

“And when we reduced it back to $1000, they opposed it. They opposed the ban on property developer donations, and we know that is a matter being considered by the Crime and Corruption Commission at the moment.”

Heiner Affair whistleblower Kevin Lindeberg – who fought for three decades to prove the Goss Cabinet had the state archivist of the day unlawfully destroy documents needed in court – said scrutiny was essential because the Queensland’s “unicameral” Parliament has no upper house of review.

“In unicameral Queensland, we have now reached a simmering volcanic crisis in trust, especially in the political class, as well as in the hub accountability entity, the CCC,” Mr Lindeberg said.

“And something’s got to give like occurred in Tonga recently.”