http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/newshome/18649498/mps-probe-integrity-agencies/
MPs probe integrity agencies
Daniel Emerson, The
West Australian Updated August 26, 2013,
2:10 am
MPs hope a parliamentary inquiry starting today will begin Parliament's
fightback against the collective power of integrity agencies, which WA's top
judge has branded a threat to traditional government.
In a speech on August 1 that shocked the political community, Chief Justice Wayne Martin warned against a push by integrity agencies to be regarded as a "fourth arm of government".
He said he was concerned at the Corruption and Crime Commissioner, Public Sector Commissioner, Auditor-General, Information Commissioner and Ombudsman banding into the "Integrity Co-ordinating Group".
"The collection of these agencies in one grouping creates the risk they will cease to be 'islands of power' but will instead come to be regarded, at least by themselves, as an overarching part of the fabric of government," Chief Justice Martin said.
Asked by Opposition Leader Mark McGowan last week whether Parliament was doing anything to investigate the Chief Justice's concerns, Speaker Michael Sutherland put the onus on the inquiry starting today.
The joint standing committee on the CCC will investigate the corruption watchdog's "interaction with the ICG", with CCC commissioner Roger Macknay scheduled as first witness.
Committee chairman Nick Goiran yesterday hosed down the Speaker's expectations, saying it could make recommendations specific to the CCC only and would be limited in considering the co-ordinating group's power.
He said the committee decided to launch the inquiry before Chief Justice Martin's speech.
"My primary concern is going to be the extent to which the CCC is involved in the ICG and whether it's efficient and effective," Mr Goiran said.
He said his personal opinion was it was important to take note when Chief Justice Martin chose to "engage in this kind of public discourse". But because members of the ICG reported to different committees, he did not know what parliamentary body could consider its powers.
In a speech on August 1 that shocked the political community, Chief Justice Wayne Martin warned against a push by integrity agencies to be regarded as a "fourth arm of government".
He said he was concerned at the Corruption and Crime Commissioner, Public Sector Commissioner, Auditor-General, Information Commissioner and Ombudsman banding into the "Integrity Co-ordinating Group".
"The collection of these agencies in one grouping creates the risk they will cease to be 'islands of power' but will instead come to be regarded, at least by themselves, as an overarching part of the fabric of government," Chief Justice Martin said.
Asked by Opposition Leader Mark McGowan last week whether Parliament was doing anything to investigate the Chief Justice's concerns, Speaker Michael Sutherland put the onus on the inquiry starting today.
The joint standing committee on the CCC will investigate the corruption watchdog's "interaction with the ICG", with CCC commissioner Roger Macknay scheduled as first witness.
Committee chairman Nick Goiran yesterday hosed down the Speaker's expectations, saying it could make recommendations specific to the CCC only and would be limited in considering the co-ordinating group's power.
He said the committee decided to launch the inquiry before Chief Justice Martin's speech.
"My primary concern is going to be the extent to which the CCC is involved in the ICG and whether it's efficient and effective," Mr Goiran said.
He said his personal opinion was it was important to take note when Chief Justice Martin chose to "engage in this kind of public discourse". But because members of the ICG reported to different committees, he did not know what parliamentary body could consider its powers.
http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/breaking/18646373/wauchope-hits-back-at-critical-comments/
ReplyDeleteWauchope hits back at critical commentsGary Adshead, The West Australian
August 25, 2013, 2:33 pm
The State's most powerful public servant has deflected recent criticism of his role by WA's Chief Justice Wayne Martin, saying it is largely based on a "theoretical concept" that belongs in "academia".
Public Sector Commissioner Mal Wauchope gave his views in a long written response to questions from _The Weekend West. _
The commissioner has been under fire on two fronts - the overarching powers bestowed on him by the Barnett Government and his handling of an inquiry into bullying claims related to minister Peter Collier.
"It is quite wrong to suggest that the then-minister for training and workforce development somehow improperly influenced the terms of reference," Mr Wauchope said.
"The examination was not into him personally, it was into the relationship between his office and the department."
ReplyDeleteIn 2011, some terms of the inquiry were worked out via text messages between Mr Wauchope and a Collier staffer who said the minister would be "delighted" if they could be couched in a particular way.
Mr Wauchope told _The Weekend West _ why he agreed to the request and said it was part of normal consultation.
"In this case I considered the suggested changes to better clarify the scope and nature of the work to be undertaken by my office," he said.
Across four decades, the 63-year-old has seen and survived the wreckage of successive Labor and Liberal governments and has emerged with even greater stature. Apart from enormous power, Mr Wauchope and Mr Barnett have much in common.
They were both born in 1950, educated at the same high school and university and played footy together.
Mr Barnett was the best man at Mr Wauchope's first wedding in 1971.
In 2008, Mr Barnett explained the background to their friendship. "He is an outstanding public servant," the Premier told Parliament.
"He just happens to be a lifelong friend of mine - something that has never come into the public area, something neither he nor I have ever mentioned whether it be Liberal or Labor governments in power.
"We have known each other since we played football together and went to school together. We lived about half a kilometre apart."
Mr Wauchope described their relationship as "professional, not social".
"To the best of my memory, my last social engagement with the Premier was in 1980, when we attended a WAFL game together," he said. "This was well before he became an MP, let alone Premier."
He was not surprised that a recent lecture in NSW in which Chief Justice Martin raised concerns about a "fourth arm" of government, generated attention.
"In my view, academia is an appropriate forum for such theoretical concepts to be explored and debated and, the Chief Justice's speech aside, the concept has not to my knowledge attained any broader gravitas in the State to date," Mr Wauchope said.
The Chief Justice said Mr Wauchope was an "unaccountable official" with an "extraordinary delegation" of power.
"On the face of it, it is difficult to see how this framework promotes the cause of 'integrity'," Chief Justice Martin said.