Department of Justice

Friday, 26 March 2010

The Department of Justice, on behalf of the Tasmanian Government, is to advertise tomorrow for three board members to sit on Tasmania’s Integrity Commission to oversee ethical conduct among senior members of Tasmania’s public sector.

The Commission resulted from a recommendation by a Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on Ethical Conduct late last year.
The Project Manager, Dale Webster, says the Commission will be involved in education and advisory services, and will have powers of investigation.
“The role of the Integrity Commission is to promote and enhance ethical conduct by Public Officers,” Mr Webster said.
The Commission’s investigative work will focus on senior public officers such as MPs, senior bureaucrats, local government officers and senior police officers.
Mr Webster says the Commission will be overseen by a seven-member board which includes a senior legal person as Chief Commissioner, the Ombudsman, the Auditor General and the State Service Commissioner.
The position of Chief Commissioner has already been advertised and will be filled in the coming weeks.
Advertisements will be placed in all three Tasmanian daily newspapers tomorrow, seeking expressions of interest from people wishing to be appointed to the remaining three positions.
“The Board is required to be drawn from a spread of experiences: one is required to have experience in local government, the second Board member is required to have experience in law enforcement or the conduct of investigations, and the third board member must be someone who has experience in any one of the public administration, governance, government, legal practice or community service areas,’’ Mr Webster said
Mr Webster said that it is expected the Commission will begin full operations on 1 July 2010.