Premier, do the right thing and announce a royal commission
Why are Queenslanders still waiting on a wide-ranging commission of inquiry to tackle the government’s alleged deep-seated integrity and accountability issues? Not good enough.
Kylie Lang
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Let me ask you this: has the behaviour of the Palaszczuk Government over the past week restored any faith you might’ve had that it is acting in the best interests of Queenslanders?
From where I sit, all we’ve seen is more dodging and weaving, faux transparency, and rhetoric that passes the buck while telling us nothing.
We are no closer to understanding how exactly the government plans to clean up its mounting integrity crisis.
The only thing the Premier has revealed is her unmasked face.
In a lame attempt to lighten the mood ahead of mask restrictions easing on March 4, Ms Palaszczuk posted a video of herself tearing off her mask in slow motion to Frank Sinatra’s When You’re Smiling.
Not many of us are smiling, Premier.
The review you finally called – after weeks of media scrutiny over allegations of interference by ministers and departmental officials into statutory bodies – is firming as a dud.
Nothing against academic Peter Coaldrake, a Labor Party donor who has been charged to lead the probe, but it is patently clear the review will not go far enough.
As outgoing Integrity Commissioner Dr Nikola Stepanov stated this week, Professor Coaldrake himself has “publicly discussed the limited scope and duration of the review, as well the lack of legal powers and protections that would be afforded by a full Commission of Inquiry”.
The Opposition also has demanded a royal commission, as has former state archivist Mike Summerell who pointed to “fundamental flaws” in the scope and protections for whistle blowers afforded by the Coaldrake review.
The tin-eared Ms Palaszczuk continues to ignore these and other same calls, insisting the four-month review will be “very, very thorough”.
How?
On Monday, the Premier’s director-general Rachel Hunter wrote to all public servants encouraging them to apply to be part of the Coaldrake review.
Forget weeks of whistle blowers citing a toxic culture that stopped people speaking out about integrity concerns, here was the highly paid Ms Hunter asking them to put their hands up.
In what lifetime?
It gets crazier. A day later, Jackie Trad resurfaced in parliament, figuratively, when it was revealed she had applied to the Supreme Court to block the release of a corruption watchdog report into allegations she intervened in the appointment of a top public servant when she was state treasurer.
Manager for Opposition Business Jarrod Bleijie used parliamentary privilege to raise a “most serious issue” regarding a Crime and Corruption Commission report into the recruitment process of former under treasurer Frankie Carroll.
Why Ms Trad’s desperate bid for secrecy?
If there’s nothing to hide, then release the report.
As Mr Bleijie said in parliament on Thursday, the CCC should write to its overseeing body, the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee, and ask it to table the report.
This would effectively override any Supreme Court decision.
Just imagine if the court were to rule in Ms Trad’s favour how many current and former politicians would be clamouring to have matters of public interest suppressed?
Not to be outdone, Education Minister Grace Grace excelled at obfuscation this week.
Pushed on the findings into a botched appointment process of a Brisbane school principal – in which Ms Trad was also alleged to have interfered but was later cleared – Ms Grace said she didn’t have them.
This is despite the Public Service Commission probe into the matter wrapping up a year ago.
You have to wonder about the purpose of these government appointed reviews.
When findings are hushed up, not released, and hindered by the scope of the probes in the first place, is the sole purpose to create a facade of action? To be seen to be doing something when in fact the government is doing nothing?
The public has every right to be angry at being treated like mugs.
Independent institutions should be exactly that. Anything less is the opposite of acting in the best interests of Queenslanders.
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