Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has U-turned on a month-old decision that a proposed government complaint body was “unviable”.
Palaszczuk said a respected legal figure would now be found to lead the one-stop complaints shop called for by Professor Peter Coaldrake in his government accountability review last year.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month said such a body would be “unviable,both technologically and financially”.AAP
“Today I advised cabinet that,in relation to the Coaldrake report,that we will be implementing the clearing house,” she told journalists at a press conference after a regular meeting of her ministers on Monday.
“The department had set up a system that,of course,is working. But I think ... in the public interest and being true to the intent of the report,cabinet has endorsed my proposal that we will set up a properly constituted clearing house body.”
Why it matters
Last month,Palaszczuk told News Corp such a body would be “unviable,both technologically and financially”,after work by her department to look into the Coaldrake proposal resulted in an.
Coaldrake the government consider his suggestion because of the complexity of Queensland’s integrity and accountability bodies for those seeking to raise complaints or concerns,which he said could be “utterly baffling” to the average citizen.
Public Sector Commissioner David Mackie,who led the work,said last month the structure he had investigated would have cost at least $10 million to set up and $6 million a year to run.
Weeks later,while the premier was on a two-week break and facing anonymous public leadership questions,LNP Opposition Leader David Crisafulli to set up such a body if he won government in October 2024.
What they said
On Monday,Palaszczuk said she hoped to see the body in place by the end of the year after a “hindsight” reconsideration and increase in complaints through the.
“I reflected on it,and I spoke with the director-general and said,‘I don’t think this meets community expectations’,and we’ve changed it,” she said.
Palaszczuk suggested the body was slightly different to the one looked into by the department,and would sit under the Public Service Commission.
“There will be a board,and sitting above that board there will be an eminent person such as,I would expect,someone like a retired judge,who would work perhaps three days a week,who will be able to prioritise significant complaints,but also to make sure that complaints are dealt with in a timely manner,” she said.
Most complaints would be dealt with by the board or advisory body,with more complex cases likely referred to the figurehead. “So[they] will be able to for example,you know,ring the Ombudsman and say,I think this one sits with you,” she said.
By the numbers
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