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Integrity Commission will require bipartisanship and consultation to be effective
In order for the proposed National Integrity Commission to be functional and effective, it will require proper consultation, collaboration and bipartisanship.
Jerome Doraisamy
While there exist differences between the Coalition and ALP’s respective positions on the look and feel of the National Integrity Commission, the implementation of an appropriate model will require careful consideration, Law Council of Australia president Arthur Moses said.
“While the Law Council steadfastly opposes the inclusion of judicial oversight by a national integrity commission, the focus must be to ensure any federal body has the correct balance of powers to investigate corruption, but also protects the rights of individuals,” Mr Moses said.
“When you get the balance wrong, it may result in the abuse of power and reputations being unfairly damaged with lives destroyed. There are difficulties with both models that are being proposed by the Coalition and the ALP, which we will work through after the Federal election.”
LCA hopes and expects, Mr Moses continued, that any further debate on this important step to combat corruption will be “conducted respectfully with the rule of law at the front of the mind”, leaving rhetoric aside, he said.
“Nobody, including retired judges or politicians, should throw allegations around in order to impugn the motives of those who disagree with their model,” he posited.
“If we work together and not attack each other, we will come up with the best model that will fight corruption, but also not trample on the rights of individuals.”
Mr Moses also reiterated LCA’s call for the establishment of separate a federal judicial commission to oversee complaints against judges.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly and HR Leader. He has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. In June 2024, he also assumed the editorship of HR Leader. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of the Minds Count Foundation.
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