Evaluation of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport
On Monday 26 October 2026, Commissioner Emma Townsend announced that ICAC would undertake an evaluation of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport. Read the public statement.
About the evaluation
The evaluation will examine the procurement and contract management practices, policies and procedures associated with the River Torrens to Darlington Project (T2D Project), with a focus on their effectiveness in managing corruption risks and preventing the involvement of unsuitable parties, including those with links to criminal organisations.
As part of the evaluation, ICAC will consider how contractors are screened before being engaged, how their ongoing suitability and integrity are monitored throughout the life of a contract, and whether there are effective mechanisms to identify, escalate and respond to potential risks, including changes in business ownership or control.
The evaluation will build upon ICAC's previous work examining corruption risks in procurement and contract management.
Get involved
Public submissions are open until Friday 15 January 2027.
ICAC is seeking feedback from people who relevantly interact with the Department for Infrastructure and Transport and the T2D Alliance, including:
- contractors and subcontractors
- government employees
- members of the community.
Before making a submission, please review the evaluation Terms of Reference below. If you are an employee of the Department for Infrastructure and Transport, please also see our evaluation fact sheet.
If you would like to share information relevant to the scope of the evaluation, please provide your written submission by emailing the evaluation team at DITevaluation@icac.sa.gov.au.
Check: Does your email contain a report of suspected corruption?
All reports of potential corruption, misconduct or maladministration in public administration should be made to the Office for Public Integrity. The evaluation team cannot receive these reports.
- If your email suggests that you or someone else is at risk of harm, ICAC may provide the relevant information to an appropriate agency such as South Australia Police.
- If your email raises a potential issue of corruption, misconduct or maladministration in public administration, ICAC may provide that information to the Office for Public Integrity.
- Disclosures made directly to ICAC are unlikely to attract whistleblower protections under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2018, because ICAC is not a relevant authority under that legislation, except in limited circumstances.
Terms of Reference
The evaluation will consider:
- The extent to which the Department for Infrastructure and Transport’s practices, policies and procedures support effective procurement and contract management within the River Torrens to Darlington project to mitigate the risk of engaging with unsuitable parties, including entities linked to criminal organisations. This will include reviewing:
- respective roles and responsibilities and governance arrangements between the Department and the T2D Alliance;
- assessment of eligibility and suitability criteria to tender or be selected for contracts;
- continuous oversight of entities contracted or subcontracted to perform work, including:
- monitoring changes in the composition of such entities; and
- security and integrity monitoring, reporting, escalation and response mechanisms; and
- recourse options including pursuant to contractual terms.
- Whether any improvements or measures can be identified that, if implemented, could prevent and minimise the risk of corruption within the River Torrens to Darlington Project.
The Commissioner may amend these Terms of Reference as a consequence of information received during the course of the evaluation.
Evaluations FAQs
The purpose of an ICAC evaluation is to improve an agency’s systems to assist it in guarding against corruption. It involves ICAC evaluating an agency’s practices, policies and procedures to ensure they are effective, and making recommendations for change where appropriate.
This evaluation is being conducted in accordance with section 40 of the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 2012 (SA).
There has been considerable public discourse and community concern regarding the potential for corrupt activity to occur within South Australia’s major infrastructure projects, including in relation to organised crime. These concerns exist against a backdrop of serious allegations and findings in other jurisdictions.
The Commissioner therefore considered it timely for ICAC to support the Department for Infrastructure and Transport to identify potential corruption risks and strengthen its existing controls if necessary.
The evaluation will focus specifically on the T2D Project. It is expected that many of the project findings will have broader applicability to other major infrastructure projects.
No, this would fall outside the scope of an evaluation.
Noting the size of the T2D Project and volume of contractual arrangements in place, the evaluation will consider a representative sample of contracts to identify strengths and opportunities to improve oversight and governance at a systemic level.
An evaluation is not an investigation or a ‘corruption probe’. An evaluation does not examine the specific conduct of any person.
If an evaluation identifies conduct that may require investigation, that conduct will be dealt with separately and in accordance with the applicable legislation.
It is difficult to predict how long an evaluation will take. However, the intention is always to complete an evaluation in as timely a manner as possible. ICAC anticipates that it will be in a position to publish a report in relation to the evaluation in 2027.
An evaluation begins with a clear definition of its scope, which is published through the Terms of Reference.
ICAC’s evaluation team will undertake a process of understanding the agency’s operations that are relevant to the evaluation. This involves talking to staff and collecting documents that relate to an agency’s practices, policies and procedures.
Submissions may be invited from relevant parties.
The evaluation will conclude with the delivery of a report to Parliament.
