As complaints to the Integrity Commission increased by 53 per cent, the watchdog has warned Tasmanian MPs that political commentary makes investigations harder.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The commission received 193 misconduct complaints in 2017-18 compared with 126 in the previous year, according to its annual report tabled in Parliament.
Commission chief executive Richard Bingham said there had been a 60 per cent increase in complaints received when compared to the average of the preceding four years.
“We are unable to determine any particular cause for the increase in complaints,” he said.
“Of the complaints received, 54 per cent were dismissed at our initial triage and a further 22 per cent were directly referred to the relevant public authority for action.”
Mr Bingham said while it was a busy year for investigations, the commission also doubled the number of face to face sessions it held reaching 153 per cent more people.
“Less positively we saw some occasions when the making of a complaint to us became the subject of political comment,” he said.
“Indeed there were occasions on which a public commitment was made to refer a matter to us but nothing eventuated.
“It is of great concern that public statements have been made by Members of Parliament about possible or actual complaints to the Integrity Commission. There are sound reasons why we discourage it.
“It is more difficult to conduct an investigation if the matter has been publicised and needless and unwarranted reputational damage often accompanies such statements.”
Mr Bingham said the commission understood it needed to tell people about its work but preferred to comment only when it had “something to say, not when we are simply commencing an investigation.”
There were 133 complaints concerning the state service and 39 relating to local councils.
The most complaints made to the commission related to the Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management with 43, followed by the Department of Justice, 21 and Department of Education 14.
The Launceston City Council had the most of any councils with six complaints made against it followed by Devonport City Council with five complaints.
However, even though complaints were made it is possible that some or all of them may have been dismissed, the report said.
Mr Bingham says the Commission has also developed a more transparent approach, publishing regular online updates of progress on assessments and investigations, as well as including a greater level of detail about them in the annual report.
“We recognise we have an obligation to tell people about our work and we aim to share as much information as we can,” he said.
“However, we must balance that against the necessity to conduct investigations without prejudice and in accordance with principles of natural justice.”