Looking Back 2020 - report published | Independent Commission Against Corruption SA

The Looking Back report is the Hon. Bruce Lander QC’s last public report before his term as South Australia’s first Independent Commissioner Against Corruption ends on Tuesday, 1 September 2020.

In this report Commissioner Lander offers his observations on the operations of his office and matters related to integrity in South Australian public administration.

The Commissioner addresses a number of issues that affect the integrity of public administration including problems that arise from inadequate oversight of the activities and functions of public officers and public authorities, conflicts of interest, and victimization of those public officers who have reported inappropriate conduct and practices.

The Commissioner reintroduces the prospect of a code of conduct for Members of Parliament and says “Recent events might suggest to the casual observer that parliament is somewhat at a loss about how to best deal with misbehavior by its members”.

Recommendations for legislative reform include a case for renaming the office the “Public Integrity Commission”, which would be headed by a Commissioner for Public Integrity. The Commissioner also restates his support for public hearings in some circumstances and the relaxation of current secrecy provisions in the ICAC Act.

A copy of the report can be downloaded from the ICAC website – icac.sa.gov.au/reports