An investigation into Queensland’s corruption watchdog has recommended that the agency should go through greater checks and balances before lodging charges to avoid unjustified results of its probe.
The inquiry into the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) outlined 32 recommendations to the state government on Tuesday, which included calls for funding for a new corruption strategy and prevention unit.
It also suggests the CCC lessen its dependence on seconded police by hiring more skilled civilian investigators, adopting a more holistic approach to address corruption, and seeking legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions before laying charges.
The review was headed by retired Supreme Court justice Alan Wilson QC and Tony Fitzgerald, who is best known for leading the landmark 1989 inquiry, which uncovered systemic corruption in Queensland 35 years ago.
It follows claims the CCC had failed to act independently and impartially during its bungled 2019 probe into Queensland’s Logan City Council.
The former mayor and seven councillors were charged with fraud, which led to the council’s dismissal before all prosecutions were discontinued almost two years later.
Flaws in the Logan City Council case showed a degree of “group think” or “pack culture” amongst police seconded to the CCC, the report found.
“This will require the CCC to consider the skills it needs, at what time and for what purpose and engage with the QPS to ensure the composition of the group reflects those needs,” it said.
“The CCC lacks ... both internal and external checks and balances that appropriately addressed these risks,” it noted.
“We have concluded that seconded police officers remain a valuable asset in the CCC’s work, but their skills and experience do not entirely meet the requirements of the CCC’s corruption investigations.”
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Tuesday welcomed the report, telling reporters that there is nothing in the report that she cannot see the government implementing.
“No one would like to see what happened to those particular councillors happen again,” she said.
“It is vital that the democratic institutions of our State are respected and protected and wherever possible improved,” she noted in a press release.
“It’s thanks to this Commission of Inquiry that we will have an even better anti-corruption body to serve us into the future.”
