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CRITICISM OF ICAC/NSW
By Richard Blake, Member of Whistleblowers Australia
Written 21st August 1998
Submitted to this Website October 2000

This criticism is in the form of a "Review" of a Report, dated November 1997, that ICAC did about the effect of the Protected Disclosures Act of 1994 and their own part in (supposedly) making it effective.

This Review quotes extensively from that Report, but it also uses the anecdotal experiences of Members of Whistleblowers Australia and the result of a survey which Whistleblowers Australia did about treatment of whistleblowers by ICAC.

At the beginning, this Review presents a brief look at the cultural and historical background of the whistleblowing situation in N.S.W., including the relationship between Whistleblowers Australia and ICAC.

It then analyses the practices of ICAC in depth, and gives comprehensively detailed arguments to the effect that ICAC was (at that time at least) extremely anti-whistleblower.

At the end, it presents a comprehensive list of issues and questions.

This Review has been submitted formally to both ICAC Commissioners who have held office since its completion, viz. Barry O'Keefe and Irene Moss. Either they have both ignored it, or, just as probably, they have been kept from it by their minders. We have had replies from staff, but no response at all from either Commissioner to its content – (Site Editor's Note: refer to the books Smuggled-2 for more on Irene Moss and Victoria Police Corruption – 2 for more on Barry O’Keefe.)

It has also been submitted to the (continuing) Parliamentary Joint Committee on ICAC, i.e. to each group of people comprising this Committee before and after the State Election on 27th March 1999. Neither of the two groups has addressed itself in writing to any of its questions and issues, or given us a reply.

The latter PJC group, in its Report on ICAC of May 2000 did find that many disclosers are concerned that ICAC did not investigate their disclosure. It is possible that this Review did count as part of that evidence. The group then recommended that an Inspector of ICAC be therefore appointed. However, at present (October 2000), the N.S.W. Government has not even made a decision yet whether to create the Office of Inspector of the ICAC.

There is some anecdotal evidence that ICAC has improved a bit over recent months, but not enough to make Whistleblowers Australia start recommending them to whistleblowers as a good avenue for disclosures.

Richard Blake
5 October 2000

This report's abstract.

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