The Honourable William Cox conducted a review of the Integrity Commission in 2016 and since that time successive Liberal governments have implemented only six of the 55 recommendations made by Mr Cox.
Trust in politics is at an all-time low and well-functioning integrity bodies are an integral part of restoring trust in public institutions.
The Tasmanian Integrity Commission has some of the weakest powers of equivalent bodies around the country. It is also the second lowest funded per capita of all integrity bodies in the country and needs to be better resourced.
It also completes less than ten per cent of the number of investigations completed by mainland integrity bodies.
The Rockliff government stubbornly refuses to progress work to implement the recommendations of the Cox review, or even give timelines for full implementation.
The government is even ignoring their own consultation on the review which closed nearly a year ago.
Jeremy Rockliff came to the premiership promising to lead a government of integrity.
He has done anything but that – his government has lost two members to the cross bench plunging them into minority due to its lack of integrity and transparency.
His government will be remembered as the most secretive and lacking in integrity government in the state’s history.
Labor calls on the government to make the implementation of the remaining 49 recommendations a matter of urgency.
Integrity is at the heart of governance and democracy – not an optional extra as the Liberals seem to think – and Labor will keep holding them to account and continue fighting for the truth and transparency Tasmanians deserve.
Ella Haddad MP
Shadow Attorney General
