Resignation of Integrity Commission Chief Executive Officer

The Government has received notification from the Chief Executive Officer of the Integrity Commission, Diane Merryfull, that she intends to retire from full-time work and will depart from her role on 16 October.

Given the proximity of the independent five year review, the Government and Chief Commissioner have agreed to appoint an Acting CEO until the review has been concluded. The Premier is required to consult with the Joint Standing Committee on Integrity in relation to the appointment of an Acting CEO and an announcement will be made on that appointment as soon as that process is concluded.

Ms Merryfull’s retirement continues a period of renewal for the Integrity Commission, with Greg Melick SC recently being appointed as the new Chief Commissioner of the Integrity Commission.

The five year independent review of the Integrity Commission is also due to commence early in 2016. Section 106 of the Integrity Commission Act 2009 provides for an independent review of that Act, which must be commissioned as soon as possible after 31 December 2015. The independent review is to be undertaken by a person appointed by the Governor, and that person must be, or previously have held office as, a judge of a court of the Commonwealth or of an Australian State or Territory.

The Government has made clear that our position is the same as the Joint Standing Committee on Integrity’s recommendation that “the question of the investigative powers and functions of the Integrity Commission should be considered as part of the five year review, and that until that review, the investigative functions and powers of the Integrity Commission should be retained.”

I thank Ms Merryfull for her contribution to the Integrity Commission since her appointment in 2012.

• John Hawkins in Comments: Why is it nobody can stay in this job? The poisoned chalice overflows as the pollies legislate to protect themselves from prosecution. The endemic corruption over logging, pulp mills, betting, largesse from the Federal government and the protection of the few must never be allowed to show its face in this your corrupt Tasmania. Thankyou Hall and Wilkinson et al for creating such a toothless beast to protect your endangered race. Thankyou Diane for resigning. Now spill the beans on this collection of shysters and carpet baggers.

• Pilko in Comments: Sepp Blatter is looking for a new job. However my sources inside the Tas Libs tell me Blatter is regarded as a cleanskin & John Gay is still the Libs preferred man to head up the new TIC.

• Rosalie Woodruff: Departure of Diane Merryfull

• John Biggs in Comments: The Mercury gave a strong impression this morning that the govt intends to restrict the investigative powers of the TIC and instead focus on “preventative” measure against corruption, not just review them. That would indeed by shameful and indeed indicative of a secretive govt that doesn’t to be caught out in acts of naughtiness. The track record of how both Labor and Liberal govts deal with Commissioners who report honestly — harrass them and make their lives difficult generally so they resign — indicates that they don’t want their naughtiness on record but we the public deserve that in the interests of transparency and good govt. The TIC to be effective at all needs to be both proactive and retroactive.

• Rosalie Woodruff: Government Neuters Public Sector Watchdog The government is actively undermining the Integrity Commission. They’ve cut their funding and failed to act on any of the recommendations from the three year review, and now they’re only appointing an Acting CEO. A person acting as CEO would have no mandate to continue the Commission’s strong and probing work.

WEDNESDAY, October 7 …

• Michael Atkin, ABC: Tasmanian senior public servants resistant to change, departing integrity watchdog boss says Outgoing integrity commissioner Diane Merryfull has criticised Tasmania’s senior public servants for having entrenched positions and a strong resistance to change. Ms Merryfull resigned last week, saying in a statement she wanted to retire from full-time work and return to Canberra. She has declined to comment on why she left the position three years into a five-year term. But she has spoken to the ABC about her time in the role. “There is resistance to change here, it’s quite significant,” she said. “But all we can do is continue to press for the change and by our work show why it needs to be made.” That work will now carry on without her. In her three years heading the anti-corruption watchdog, the commissioner has delivered hard-hitting findings about “systemic failure” in the handling of gifts and benefits by the public service. There has also been a damning investigation into nepotism within Tasmania’s hospital system which had widespread fallout for those involved. Those reports were not always well received, with the commissioner coming under widespread criticism from the Government, the public service and the union movement …

• Elizabeth Viney in Comments: This state govt feels no need to be accountable to the people they serve. Measures are taken to ensure no accountability. The Tasmanian Government Logo should better reflect this view. ‘Explore the possibilities’ is apt but vague in reflecting the culture. ‘Exploit all possibilities’ is a better qualifier.

• OBrien in Comments: … Yep everything’s just fine in Tasmania, no culture of entitlement in the State Service and no need for a real corruption commission, just business as usual. Ms Merryful and her collection of highly remunerated public servants seem to exist in a parallel universe/Tasmania where everything is as it appears, squeaky clean and reputable, just like the taxpayer funded tourism Tasmania/federal hotels advertisements. (challenged, reviewed, edited)

• phil Parsons in Comments: #2. pings it perfectly. This is the latest retiring Commissioner and they tell us repeatedly to move on, nothing to see here. The attrition rate indicates clearly otherwise. A Commissioner that stayed full time now would demonstrate they were chosen for their ineffectiveness.