Cleaning up the Liberals’ integrity mess

After the Liberals inexplicably left a key reform out of the Integrity Commission Amendment Bill tabled in Parliament last week, Labor will step in to do the right thing.

Labor will seek to amend the bill to insert a new 92A, which will remove the ability for public officers under misconduct investigations to refuse to answer questions because they might incriminate themselves.

While the removal of the privilege against self-incrimination is a serious step to be taken seriously and cautiously, it is important to note that every other state has an equivalent provision in their integrity body legislation.

There is no reason why Tasmanian public officers under investigation by the Integrity Commission should be treated differently than every other part of the country.

The Government included this change in the draft legislation they released for consultation earlier in the year. However interestingly it was strangely removed without explanation from the final version of the bill tabled.

It cannot be a coincidence that this happened at the same time as two Rockliff Government Ministers resigned from cabinet amid serious questions on integrity.

Over 13 years, the Tasmanian Liberal Government has earned itself an unshakeable reputation for secrecy and a lack of transparency.

The recent disgraceful handling of the million-dollar secret legal fees scandal has made it near impossible for Tasmanians to trust a word the Liberals say.

It beggars’ belief that after what has played out over the past few weeks, the Liberals still tried to water down their own reforms to the Integrity Commission.

Tasmanians deserve an integrity body that works and can hold power to account, not a toothless tiger hamstrung by the Liberals’ addiction to secrecy and protecting those who have done the wrong thing.

A leopard doesn’t change its spots.

The Liberals have shown they won’t clean up their integrity mess, so Labor will do it for them.