ICAC gets more work, wants to talk about it
A Victorian man has been charged with abuse of public office in South Australia.
The SA Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) alleges that the 56-year-old senior public officer improperly exercised influence to benefit a company.
The man will face court at Mount Gambier in SA's south-east in two weeks’ time.
It makes for a fairly full workload for ICAC investigators, with two other public servants facing charges of abuse of public office.
Several police officers have begun their court hearings on other matters as well.
ICAC commissioner Bruce Lander has urged the SA Government to ease some of the secrecy provisions of the ICAC legislation, especially in the cases where nothing inappropriate is found.
The corruption court does not hold public hearings when investigating complaints and details typically come only when charges are first laid.
Mr Lander says the ICAC Act is over-engineered in regard to confidentiality.
“For example, if the CEO were to report to the Office of Public Integrity a senior employee in the organisation, at the moment he or she would not be able to advise the rest of the staff that the report had been made,” Mr Lander has previously stated.
“The proper conversations are not being had in the public sector.”