We should cherish its very existence.
But the ICAC is not beyond rebuke,or improvement,and the inquiry and report intoformer NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian places a spotlight on the case for change.
The failures of the inquiry since its very inception are almost Shakespearean,except in this case the tragedy is the loss of one of the state’s finest premiers on dubious grounds – as well as the trauma she had to endure from needless levels of intrusion into her personal life.
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The ICAC has a methodical approach to its work that is governed by legislation. The first step is the concept of private hearings,where evidence can be gathered and assessed before the decision is taken to proceed further. But it was here,in the supposed sanctity of private hearings protected by the very laws that govern the ICAC,that the first failure occurred.
The ICAC accidentally published transcripts from private hearings,and it was no surprise to see the circus that followed.
One Nation’s Mark Latham – someone who once cried at a public podium about an apparent intrusion into his personal life when he was federal opposition leader – read elements into Hansard. His horrid instincts for political gain and the torment of a good woman turned what should have been a secret investigation into a crude political cudgel to be deployed against Gladys Berejiklian.