Premier recalls Tony Fitzgerald to lead $5m review into Crime and Corruption Commission

The Premier has recalled corruption-busting legend Tony Fitzgerald from retirement to lead a review into Queensland’s corruption watchdog.

Corruption-busting legend Tony Fitzgerald has been recalled from retirement to help chair a transformative review of the powers and responsibilities of Queensland’s corruption watchdog.

Annastacia Palaszczuk stunned many when she ­announced the pre-eminent QC – who is now 80 – would head the commission of inquiry recommended following a scathing parliamentary review into the Crime and Corruption ­Commission’s failures involving fraud charges against Logan City Council politicians which were subsequently abandoned.

Mr Fitzgerald, who chaired Queensland’s transformative Fitzgerald inquiry three decades ago, will be assisted by retired Supreme Court judge Alan Wilson QC. The inquiry is slated for six months, has a $5m budget and is set to begin on Monday, when staff will need to be hired.

The announcement follows the resignation of CCC chair Alan MacSporran last Friday and comes weeks earlier than the Premier indicated last week when she said the public should expect a government response by the time parliament resumed on February 22.

Former CCC chairman Alan MacSporran. Picture: Domanii Cameron

Its terms of reference will mirror the recommendations made by the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee to review the corruption watchdog’s structure relating to its investigatory and charging functions, the role of seconded police officers and whether the Director of Public Prosecutions, or an independent legal adviser, should be consulted by the CCC before it laid serious criminal charges.

But the opposition, which has been calling for a Fitzgerald-style inquiry into government integrity as well, blasted the move as a diversionary tactic.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli accused the government of hosing down the “CCC bin fire” but ignoring “the integrity inferno burning through the heart of the government”.

“The Premier has tried to release the pressure valve of the integrity crisis engulfing her government,” he said.

“The state government has announced an inquiry into the CCC while refusing to open itself to an investigation.

“Queenslanders are smarter than this and won’t have the wool pulled over their eyes.

“Anything short of a full royal commission into the widespread systemic integrity issues ripping through the Queensland government is a cop out.”

Tony Fitzgerald in 1998.

Ms Palaszczuk said the inquiry’s terms of reference were “very specific” as she batted down questions over whether the inquiry could be expanded to look at broad integrity issues.

“We have other robust agencies in the state … and the public can have confidence that we respect the different institutions that provide the checks and balances over government,” she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said she was implementing the recommendations of the PCCC, which she took very seriously, and the public could have confidence in Mr Fitzgerald as the man who created the CCC to now review it.

“Now we need the next chapter to be written to ensure that the public and the people of this state have absolute confidence in the CCC,” she said.

She said she had not spoken to Mr Fitzgerald, but her department and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman’s had been liaising with him.

“This has been over the last month or so, it has not just happened overnight,” she said.

The Local Government Association of Queensland, which pushed for the PCCC investigation into the Logan City Council matter, called the announcement a “critical step” in restoring confidence to the important institution.

“Queensland needs to have a fearless CCC that is thorough, rigorous and robust,” LGAQ president and Sunshine Coast Mayor Mark Jamieson said.

“But it must have adequate checks and balances to preserve its own reputation and trust with the public, and to ensure it is not abusing its extensive powers.

“This Commission of Inquiry is the right move to ensure those failings are corrected and that processes are put in place to stop the failings outlined by the PCCC’s Inquiry from happening again.”

Ms Palaszczuk committed to agree to all recommendations made. “I’m not going to pre-empt that, but that government will take this very seriously and implement all recommendations,” she said.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said the appointment of legendary corruption buster Tony Fitzgerald QC to head the inquiry into the CCC was one of Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s ‘best calls’.

Cr Tate, who has been a vocal critic of the CCC after being subjected to an 18-month investigation before being cleared, said there was ‘obviously some festering problem’ with the crime and corruption watchdog.

“For the father of justice and all things anti-corruption to come back … who better to do a Fitzgerald Inquiry 2.0 than Fitzgerald himself,” he said.

“It’s a great call. He’ll get the job done and restore confidence back into the CCC.”

The Coast mayor had been outspoken in his calls for now-departed CCC chairman Alan MacSporran to step down or be sacked and welcomed his resignation last week.

Cr Tate became embroiled in a bitter war of words with Mr MacSporran last year after saying that having the commission investigate him was like “someone telling you it’s raining while standing behind you pissing down your back’’.

Mr MacSporran hit back, accusing Cr Tate of being ‘vulgar’ and making comments ‘unbecoming of an elected official’.

“I greatly admire and respect the work of the PCCC that has brought us to this position,” Cr Tate said after Mr MacSporran’s resignation.

“From this Friday, I know the weather across Queensland will be much brighter and I will know longer have that feeling of something warm running down my back.

“I’m disappointed the chair did not use his resignation media statement to apologise for the incredible pain and harm he has caused so many hard working local government councillors and mayors.

“I support any incoming chair in their endeavours to get the CCC back to what its focus should be.

“The damage caused by this chair is immense and it will take a comprehensive review and re-setting of the values and charter of the CCC to restore any faith in the institution.”