NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has announced a suite of policy reforms with an intention to “restore integrity to Government in NSW.”

Mr O’Farrell told Parliament the NSW Government was committed to restoring confidence in public administration by:

 

  • Strengthening the powers of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC);
  • Restoring integrity to government advertising; an
  •  Introducing new protections for whistleblowers.

The Government will amend the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act to strengthen the powers of the ICAC and the Inspector of the ICAC.

 

New measures will include:

 

  • Facilitating the ICAC to assemble comprehensive briefs of evidence for the DPP to support prosecutions arising from corruption investigations;
  • Permitting the Inspector of the ICAC’s reports and findings to be published more broadly;
  • Permitting the ICAC to provide more information about its use of covert surveillance to the Inspector of the ICAC;
  • Ensuring that prosecutions for perjury occurs in higher courts; and
  • Giving the ICAC Commissioner more power to remove staff members in whom he or she has lost confidence.

Mr O’Farrell said the NSW Government would also take action to strengthen whistleblower protection laws and to overhaul government advertising.

Mr O’Farrell’s planned reforms to the area are as follows:

 

  • Requiring public authorities to report back to those making disclosures within 45 days;
  • Requiring each public authority to have a designated officer to receive information from whistleblowers; and
  • Requiring public authorities to report the number of disclosures made by whistleblowers each quarter.

 

“In making these changes we have taken on board the recommendations of the Ombudsman to further strengthen our original plans to give whistleblowers more protection.” Mr O’Farrell said.


“We will also prohibit party-political material in government advertising and ensure the Auditor-General can scrutinise advertising campaigns.”


“Most importantly, we will make political parties liable to pay back the costs of advertising campaigns that breach these laws."