Qld integrity crisis: Taskforce disbanded before reform implemented

A government taskforce formed to implement the recommendations of Peter Coaldrake’s 2022 integrity review has been disbanded as a key measure remains incomplete.

Peter Coaldrake (left) meets with Premier Steven Miles.

A government taskforce formed to implement the recommendations of Peter Coaldrake’s 2022 integrity review has been disbanded as a key measure remains incomplete.

Cabinet documents, made public after 30 days as recommended in the Coaldrake Review, reveals another key measure is yet to be implemented almost two years later.

A one-stop complaints clearing house has not been established, despite the Integrity Reform Taskforce marking the effort as “complete” in its report to cabinet “for the purposes of closing the integrity reform program”.

The cabinet document, approved by Premier Steven Miles, gives no timeline for when the complaints clearing house will be operational – noting it would be up to the Public Sector Commission to implement it once a final model is approved.

“Due to its complexity, full design, development and delivery of the project is anticipated to take some time,” the cabinet document notes.

It is understood cabinet will soon consider how to establish the clearing house following an independent investigation by former District Court judge Michael Forde.

Opposition integrity spokeswoman Fiona Simpson accused the government of secretly walking away from a key promise on the eve of a state election.

“Nearly two years on and this key Coaldrake recommendation has been relegated to Labor’s integrity scrap heap,” she said.

“When it comes to integrity, this government’s heart has never been in it – they’re just not up to it.

“A complaints clearing house was designed to ensure all complaints about this government are properly investigated, not buried by Labor’s chaos and crisis.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Miles accused the LNP of failing to understand the documents and said the dedicated integrity taskforce had finished its work, with other agencies now responsible for delivering the clearing house.

“The LNP are once again showing they are not fit to govern – they can’t even understand the publicly available and proactively released cabinet papers,” she said.

“These documents are only available because of the integrity and transparency measures brought in by this government.”

Professor Coaldrake’s 2022 integrity review was accepted by Annastacia Palaszczuk, who pledged to implement all recommendations “lock, stock and barrel”.

She faced criticism, however, for declaring a one-stop complaints clearing house was unviable, only to reverse her decision and recommit to the agency.

In November, Ms Palaszczuk announced Mr Forde would chair a new Complaints Oversights Board which would also include the Queensland Ombudsman, Crime and Corruption Commission and the Information Commissioner.

“Mr Forde will be supported by the clearing house team to provide best practice in Queensland for accepting, acknowledging, assessing, tracking and resolving complaints,” she said.