A day after the commission's new head described its existing powers as adequate, Whistleblowers Tasmania has described it as ineffectual.

Organisation spokeswoman Isla MacGregor said it had studied all such watchdogs and concluded that Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission was the ideal set-up.

``We would like to see the Integrity Commission replaced altogether, as the feeling from some people who have taken complaints there is it is ineffective,'' Ms MacGregor said.

``The Integrity Commission Act needs to be scrapped and there should really be an overhaul of legislation with the Western Australia law pointing the way.''

The Corruption and Crime Comission, which has the same powers as a royal commission, began operating on January 1, 2004. In 2010-11, it cost $26.19 million to run with 148 full-time staff.

In comparison, Tasmania's commission employs 17 people and in 2010-11 cost $3.2 million to operate.

Ms MacGregor said Whistleblowers Tasmania was liaising with legal and academic experts on an overhaul proposal it planned to put to all three political parties this year.

A parliamentary review of the Integrity Commission's first three years of operation is due next year.

Commission chief executive Diane Merryfull said yesterday that there was no need to bring that review forward.

Ms MacGregor said her organisation would not wait for the review to propose the commission be replaced.

``There are very urgent matters that the Integrity Commission should be looking into as we speak, but unfortunately it can't do so because it just doesn't have the powers,'' she said.

Earlier this year, the commission was labelled a ``toothless tiger'' after it admitted that it did not have the power to demand answers or documentation in some instances.

That was revealed after it decided not to take further action on corruption claims about the pulp mill process.