KICKBACKS to public servants, a conspiracy to pervert the course of justice and a 10-year travel expenses rort have been revealed in a report by the Tasmanian Integrity Commission.
Commission CEO Diane Merryfull released an Investigations Report as part of a bid to be more transparent about the work of the anti-corruption body.
Releasing the report today, Ms Merryfull said she was not concerned that none of the investigations had resulted in criminal charges.
“We’re not disappointed. It’s not our job to make decisions like that. The Act provides that we gather the information and refer it to those people who make those decisions,” she said.
“They make their decisions based on their operating responsibilities. We don’t feel disappointed or otherwise about their decisions.”
The first of the three investigations revealed $2 million worth of stock for the stores and canteen at Risdon Prison had been sourced without compliance with procurement policies between 2008 and 2011.
• David Obendorf, in Comments, quoting Hansard: Ms MERRYFULL – I am not prepared to say that but do not assume that because certain information has been put in the public arena that that is the entirety of the information. I have explained that the commission is very careful about what it puts out into the public arena. Just because somebody puts a certain amount of information out there, the commission is always very careful about responding, keeping in mind our obligations and way of operating. I hope you can understand that. … we are getting more complaints from people inside the public service. Information about misconduct is much more held inside the public sector than outside the public sector. Now we are getting more complaints coming from – I guess you might call them, whistleblowers – inside the public sector and they are complaints of substance, so they require a lot more work.
