One third of Queensland public servants have witnessed corruption and over half didn’t report it, watchdog finds
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Version 0 of 1. State’s Crime and Corruption Commission investigated fewer than 1% of complaints referred to it Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A third of Queensland public servants say they have witnessed corruption in their workplace in the last five years, according to a survey by the state’s anti-corruption watchdog. However, the state’s Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) investigated fewer than 1% of complaints referred to it, and has only charged a single person with a corruption offence in a year, it revealed in parliament this week. The survey, which included 5,957 state government public servants, 928 employees of local councils and 114 employees of the police service, was conducted between March and May. About 55% of public sector employees reported they had either witnessed or potentially witnessed corruption in the past five years. Of 31% who believed they had witnessed corruption, “55% did not report it”, the survey found. Sign up: AU Breaking News email The primary reasons those who said they would not report corruption gave were: fear of retribution, reprisals and concerns about confidentiality, safety, and privacy. “I don’t have faith that the complaint would be investigated confidentially, fairly or thoroughly,” one anonymous survey respondent said. The report quotes another saying: “Because I will be identified to the parties that you are complaining about and the repercussions are I will lose my job. Seen it time and time again.” According to documents tabled in parliament this week, the CCC assessed 5,567 corruption matters in the 2024-25 financial year and retained 33. Of the matters, 3,700 were referred back to the “unit of public administration” they were made about, and 1,834 were dropped. One person was charged with one corruption offence during that period, it reported. The continued practice of referring complaints back to the departments they were made against comes years after a landmark inquiry recommended it be ended entirely for police. The landmark November 2022 Call for Change inquiry into the Queensland police’s response to domestic and family violence heard evidence of repeated failure by the integrity oversight system. It recommended creating a police integrity unit within the CCC “within 18 months”. The body would be responsible for investigating all complaints about the police. The deadline was missed last year, under Labor. In July 2024 the CCC chair, Bruce Barbour, told parliament there had not been any progress on the “urgent” recommendation “in any meaningful way”. The new LNP government has not committed to implementing the reform and has repeatedly refused to answer questions about progress. Of public servants surveyed by the CCC, 41% reported they had not witnessed corruption in the past five years. Others weren’t sure if witnessed behaviour constituted corruption. Of public sector employees, 90% agreed corruption happened in Queensland, with 65% agreeing that it was a problem in Queensland. “Only two in five employees (40%) agree they would feel comfortable if their complaint was investigated by their workplace,” the CCC report stated. The survey was tabled in Queensland parliament in July. |