A National Integrity Commission: an idea whose time has come
Australia’s trust in federal politics is at an all-time low. Australians have never trusted their politicians less. When operational, the National Anti-Corruption Commission will investigate and expose corruption and serious misconduct at a federal level and help restore faith in our democracy.
Design Blueprint
The National Integrity Committee has published a series of papers on the design of a national integrity commission. The National Integrity Committee’s Blueprint provides analysis on:
- The appointment of a Commissioner nominated by a bipartisan committee
- The need for a National Integrity Commission to have a broad jurisdiction to investigate the conduct of any person that affects the impartial exercise of public office
- The need for a National Integrity Commission to be able to hold public hearings if in the public interest
- The objectives of a National Integrity Commission to investigate and expose serious or systemic corruption in public administration
To complement its blueprint, the Committee has also written an implementation plan, which goes into detail about how the Commission could begin an investigation, what its relationship with existing integrity agencies should be and how it could limit the risk to reputations.