Independent Commission Against Corruption (New South Wales)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is an independent agency of the Government of New South Wales with responsibility for investigating corrupt practices by state and local officials in the state of New South Wales. The ICAC was established in 1988 by then premier Nick Greiner.

The organisation is typically referred to by its initials, as in "the I-C-A-C", or simply as "ikak".

1 Structure and operation
2 Development
3 History
- 3.1 Commissioners
- 3.2 High-profile cases
4 External links

[edit] Structure and operation

The ICAC has jurisdiction over state and local government in New South Wales. This extends to parliamentarians, local councillors, the Governor of New South Wales, public servants and police as well as staff of universities and state-owned corporations.

Anyone can refer matters to the commission.

The commission has the coercive powers of a Royal Commission and can compel witnesses to testify. Where the ICAC rules that an official has acted corruptly, the charges are referred to the criminal justice system for trial.

The ICAC is led by a single commissioner, who, though the agency belongs within the New South Wales Premier's Department, reports directly to the presiding officers of the Parliament of New South Wales. The commissioner serves a single five-year term and cannot be dismissed except by the Governor.

[edit] Development

The 1980s saw a number of corruption scandals break around Australia, involving the Labor administrations in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia and the National Party administration in Queensland.

In 1988, Greiner, a Liberal, ran against Labor in New South Wales on an anti-corruption platform and won. Introducing legislation to establish the ICAC, Grenier told Parliament that

In recent years, in New South Wales we have seen: a Minister of the Crown gaoled for bribery; an inquiry into a second, and indeed a third, former Minister for alleged corruption; the former Chief Stipendiary Magistrate gaoled for perverting the course of justice; a former Commissioner of Police in the courts on a criminal charge; the former Deputy Commissioner of Police charged with bribery; a series of investigations and court cases involving judicial figures including a High Court Judge; and a disturbing number of dismissals, retirements and convictions of senior police officers for offences involving corrupt conduct ... No government can maintain its claim to legitimacy while there remains the cloud of suspicion and doubt that has hung over government in New South Wales.

[edit] History

The ICAC's first task was to investigate the activities of the previous Wran and Unsworth governments. No charges were recommended by the commission.

In 1992, the ICAC ruled that Greiner offer of a government job to former minister Terry Metherell was an act of corruption. Although the charges were later dismissed by the courts, the four independent MPs on whom the premier relied for a majority in the Legislative Assembly indicated that they would not support his leadership. Greiner resigned and was replaced by John Fahey.

[edit] Commissioners

The ICAC is led by a single commissioner, who serves for a non-renewable term of five years. Four people have held the post since the commission's establishment.