It is unusual for a committee such as this to call on a former head of an agency. The acting IBAC commissioner,Stephen Farrow,will also appear before the committee.
Senior MPs,speaking on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorised to speak publicly,said that Labor MPs on the integrity committee opposed inviting Redlich to appear but lost the vote. The government no longer controls the committee after a controversial deal in March with the Greens and Legalise Cannabis Party.
Towards the end of his five-year term as IBAC commissioner,Redlich wasoutspoken in his critique of the government and what he described as “soft” or “grey” corruption and “fundamental institutional failings”.
Redlich repeatedly called for reform,including for funding of IBAC to be removed from the discretion of the government and given to the state parliament,and for the widening of the watchdog’s powers.
In March,it was revealed he wrote to the parliament in his final days as commissioner alleging that Labor MPs had asked an independent auditor to“dig up dirt”on IBAC and that this may have been revenge for ongoing investigations into the government.
Redlich sent the letter to the lower house speaker and upper house president,apparently anticipating it would be distributed to all MPs – but it wasn’t.
When the lettersurfaced, the opposition proposed to move a motion in parliament for a special inquiry into the claims detailed in Redlich’s letter.