Voters across political spectrum want greater accountability of Tasmanian politicians
Transparency and accountability of politicians and the public service may be one of the sleeper issues of the upcoming state election.
A recent poll of 781 voters in Bass undertaken by ReachTEL on the night of January 16th for The Australia Institute found that 85% of respondents wanted more powers and resources available to Tasmania’s integrity commission to investigate politicians and bureaucrats.
These results indicate a loss of faith in our politicians and institutions. It may be one factor in voters retreating from the two major parties, with all recent polls showing one in four voters nominating parties other than the ALP or Liberals as their first preference.
Question: Do you agree or disagree that Tasmania’s integrity commission should be given more powers and resources to ensure politicians and bureaucrats act honestly and transparently?
|
|
Total |
Female |
Male |
18 – 34 |
35 – 50 |
51 – 65 |
65+ |
|
Strongly agree |
65.3% |
59.1% |
72.0% |
61.0% |
55.9% |
73.8% |
69.6% |
|
Agree |
20.4% |
22.9% |
17.6% |
18.0% |
25.3% |
17.0% |
22.0% |
|
Disagree |
4.9% |
3.9% |
5.9% |
9.0% |
5.4% |
2.4% |
2.6% |
|
Strongly disagree |
2.0% |
3.2% |
0.8% |
6.0% |
0.0% |
1.5% |
0.5% |
|
Unsure |
7.4% |
10.8% |
3.7% |
6.0% |
13.4% |
5.3% |
5.2% |
|
|
Total |
Liberal |
Labor |
Greens |
JLN |
Other |
Und |
|
Strongly agree |
65.3% |
53.2% |
75.4% |
81.3% |
79.2% |
80.0% |
67.6% |
|
Agree |
20.4% |
29.7% |
14.5% |
7.5% |
4.2% |
20.0% |
18.9% |
|
Disagree |
4.9% |
6.7% |
5.8% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
|
Strongly disagree |
2.0% |
1.1% |
0.0% |
7.5% |
8.3% |
0.0% |
0.0% |
|
Unsure |
7.4% |
9.4% |
4.3% |
3.8% |
8.3% |
0.0% |
13.5% |
Previous analysis from The Australia Institute found Tasmania’s integrity commission to be one of the least effective in the country.
Table 2: Comparison of state anti-corruption commissions 2012 – 2016
|
Body |
People referred to DPP |
Public hearings |
Corrupt conduct findings |
Findings against MPs and ministers |
|
NSW ICAC |
76 |
28 |
123 |
12 |
|
WA CCC |
47 |
3 |
n/a |
0 |
|
Qld CCC |
32 |
0 |
n/a |
0 |
|
SA ICAC* |
16 |
n/a |
n/a |
0 |
|
Vic IBAC |
6 |
4 |
n/a |
0 |
|
Tas IC |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
Sources: Annual reports of NSW ICAC, Qld CCC, Vic IBAC, SA ICAC, WA CCC and Tas IC
*Note SA ICAC does not have the power to hold public hearings, and was only operational in 2013
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