Editorial: Trust in the system at stake in CCC reviews

It is critical the Crime and Corruption Commissionremains “an independent, fair and impartial body trusted by the public”, writes the editor, because our trust in the entire system relies on it.

The key reason the latest inquiry into the Crime and Corruption Commission was necessary is laid out plainly right at the top of the final report’s first page.

There it is stated that while the form and function of what was originally called the Criminal Justice Commission has changed over the three decades since it was recommended by the original 1989 Fitzgerald Inquiry, it “still has the central role in Queensland’s integrity landscape … and remains fundamental to combating major crime and corruption in the state”.

The CCC is the only institution we have that has as its primary focus “studying, detecting, and eradicating crime and corruption”.

For that reason, it is critical that the organisation remains “an independent, fair and impartial body trusted by the public”.

But the sad truth is that due to its missteps and overreach in recent times, there is a real risk of trust in the CCC being eroded, if not lost forever – and that should not stand.

We therefore congratulate Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on recognising that fact, and enlisting the man responsible for creating the organisation – corruption buster Tony Fitzgerald QC – to lead this important review of the CCC’s behaviour, structure and functions.

The 32 recommendations that have emerged are a sensible batch of changes that will redirect rather than revolutionise the watchdog’s important work. But this inquiry is not by any means “Fitzgerald 2.0” – as the report itself points out in no uncertain terms: “We were not asked to consider questions involving the CCC’s existence, its purpose or its continuity. Rather, we were charged with examining and reporting upon quite specific aspects of its operations.”

A photo posted on Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's Instagram account with Tony Fitzgerald following the conclusion of the inquiry relating to the Crime and Corruption Commission. Pic Instagram.

That is, the Premier should not claim that acting on this Fitzgerald Report’s recommendations is in any way more significant than ensuring the CCC is put back on track.

Instead, the integrity-related issues confirmed by Professor Peter Coaldrake’s recent “review of culture and accountability in the Queensland public sector” must remain top of the Premier’s to-do list. It has now been six weeks since that important report was given to the government. The Premier has pledged to implement all of its recommendations “lock, stock and barrel” – but we are still waiting.

To be fair, she has established a taskforce to build out the response – one led by the director-general of the Department of Justice David Mackie. She has asked that group to report back to Cabinet in September with its recommendations around a
“legislative reform package for introduction to parliament”.

This is a good thing, because what was uncovered by the Coaldrake review was a culture within this government “that, from the top down, is not meeting public expectations”. That report also made it clear that this Palaszczuk Government had – over several years – failed to act on a long list of important recommendations made by other reviews into the exact areas of concern Prof Coaldrake probed. That is, this is an administration with a record of commissioning reviews when faced with problems but then failing to implement what is then recommended.

This must not be repeated with this important but limited probe into the CCC by Mr Fitzgerald and retired Supreme Court judge Alan Wilson. And that is equally true of the Coaldrake review’s proposals. Trust in the entire system – not just this administration – relies on it.