‘I did not know’: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk tries to hose down latest integrity claims

Annastacia Palaszczuk has tried to hose down the integrity saga engulfing her government, as she marks her seventh anniversary in Queensland’s top job, standing by her decision to refer the state’s Integrity Commissioner to a parliamentary committee.

Annastacia Palaszczuk has denied she was aware of any of the allegations being raised by the state’s Integrity Commissioner before she referred her to a parliamentary committee.

The Premier on Sunday tried to hose down the integrity saga engulfing her government, as she marks her seventh anniversary in Queensland’s top job on Monday.

It followed a Sunday Mail report that revealed Ms Palaszczuk referred Nikola Stepanov to a parliamentary committee in the weeks after Dr Stepanov made allegations of interference in her office.

The committee acts as a check and balance on Dr Stepanov, and any attempt to remove her must be signed off by its members.

The Premier on Sunday stood by her decision to refer Dr Stepanov to the committee, revealing that she had received advice from the Solicitor-General to do so.

When asked at her press conference if she was aware of the claims being made by Dr Stepanov prior to the committee referral, Ms Palaszczuk said: “To my knowledge, no – but I will double check.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk during Sunday’s press conference. Picture: Richard Walker

Several hours after the press conference, the Premier’s office confirmed Ms Palaszczuk was not aware of Dr Stepanov’s allegations before the committee referral.

Ms Palaszczuk said she respected the office of the Integrity Commissioner, as well as Dr Stepanov herself, and stressed she never wanted Dr Stepanov removed from her job, saying she had full faith in the job she was doing.

She also suggested it would have been “absolutely negligent” if she had not acted on the advice from the Solicitor-General to refer Dr Stepanov to the committee, insisting she had done “everything right as Premier”. “The (parliamentary) Economics and Governance Committee has oversight of the Integrity Commissioner,” she said.

“When matters with her office were raised with me, I referred them to the committee.

“I did that based on Solicitor-General advice. The Solicitor-General advised me that that was the correct course of action and that is the right thing to do.

“Certain matters relating to this complaint have been referred to the CCC, which continues its investigation.

“I think it would be helpful if the CCC could provide an update to the public on this investigation.

“I have asked my department to write to them, to seek that update, but ultimately it is a matter that is up to them.”

Queensland Integrity Commissioner Dr Nikola Stepanov. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jono Searle

The Premier said it was not fair or legal to discuss publicly matters before a committee.

“In this state, we play by the rules, we don’t comment on court cases before they’re finished – we don’t comment on CCC and committee business before they’re finished either,” she said.

The CCC on Sunday declined to comment.

When asked who had informed her of the matters she raised with the committee, Ms Palaszczuk initially said it was “irrelevant” but later suggested she could not say who because she was bound by law.

But she also suggested she could not even reveal which laws bound her to confidentiality.

The Sunday Mail reported over the weekend that Ms Palaszczuk made the committee referral 16 days after Dr Stepanov met with the Premier’s Director-General to raise allegations of interference by the Public Service Commission (PSC). In a statement released on Sunday, PSC chief executive Robert Setter said: “Very serious allegations were raised in the form of written complaints from current and former staff to the Public Service Commission about the conduct of the Queensland Integrity Commissioner and members of the office of the Integrity Commissioner. As it is my statutory obligation under the Crime and Corruption Act 2001, I referred these allegations to the Crime and Corruption Commission.”

Mr Setter also said at no time did the PCS raid Dr Stepanov’s office, and at no time did it seize anything from the Integrity Commissioner.

But he did confirm a laptop was provided to the CCC, saying it was done so at the request of the CCC.

“I respect the independence of the Queensland Integrity Commissioner,” he said.

Dr Stepanov was asked on Sunday afternoon if she had a response to Mr Setter’s statement.

Ms Palaszczuk again rejected calls for a wider inquiry into integrity issues, once again repeating that the CCC was a “standing royal commission”.

This is despite several current or former independent officers of government – including Dr Stepanov – calling for a wider review into integrity.