‘We’re not making it up’: Third public official joins calls for integrity inquiry

Another independent officer has called for an inquiry into government integrity, saying he was left “bewildered” when he raised issues while in the job, only to be ignored.

Yet another independent officer has called for an inquiry into government integrity, saying he too was left “bewildered” when he raised ethical issues while in the job, only to be ignored.

Former legal services commissioner Bob Brittan is the third current or former integrity officer to call for an independent inquiry, telling The Courier-Mail of the trio: “We’re not making it up.”

Mr Brittan said he had watched the serious allegations being made by Integrity Commissioner Nikola Stepanov and former state archivist Mike Summerell and they gelled with the “poor governance” he observed before he left his role as the state’s legal watchdog in ­November 2019.

“They’re serious allegations and I certainly support a review in respect to any interference in any government or statutory officer’s role,” he said.

Bob Brittan outside the Brisbane City law courts. Picture: Peter Wallis

Mr Brittan’s claims came as Mr Summerell bit back at Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s continued refusal to launch any independent investigation as she played down his claims, which she said had happened “some time ago”.

Mr Summerell said he was finally speaking out on the matters now to support key integrity figures in Queensland and “I encourage others to step up as well”.

Mr Brittan said there was no time limit on doing the right thing.

The former commissioner resigned after publicly raising ethical concerns with the recruitment process to fill the role he was acting in.

Mr Brittan was left shocked after former attorney-general Yvette D’Ath allowed Queensland’s key legal bodies to help hand-pick their own watchdog despite the fact he had received advice from Dr Stepanov warning that the process was a conflict of interest.

Dr Stepanov had found “a fully informed reasonable member of the public would have concerns about the current proposed composition of the selection panel due to the potential conflicts of interest” because it comprised representatives from the Queensland Law Society and Bar Association of Queensland.

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

When raised by The Courier-Mail, Ms D’Ath said she had got new integrity advice that cleared the panel that included those legal representatives and accused Mr Brittan of being “disgruntled” and of besmirching the reputations of those on the selection panel in an effort to win the job himself.

Mr Brittan, who did not apply for the position because he believed the process was flawed and now works as an ethics solicitor at Shine Lawyers, said he felt the attack by Ms D’Ath was made because “if you can’t win an argument and you’re not on solid ground, you go after the individual”.

Ms Brittan said he was not surprised by the claims being made now, given his experience raising integrity issues and being ignored.

“So it’s the same principles that flow through as to a lack of integrity in respect of following due process and public interest that has to be a problem with this government, the way that they’re conducting themselves,” Mr Brittan said. “We’re not making it up, it’s one scandal after another. So I think, generally, the public should be appalled at what’s been happening over the last few years in respect to how they’ve been running things … (and) it’s all consistent with poor governance.”

Mr Brittan said the problems with the state government would not be easy to fix because it was the internal processes themselves that were flawed and offices touted as independent were not really independent.