The Board of the Integrity Commission has endorsed a new project reviewing Members of Parliament compliance with the Parliamentary Disclosure of Interests Register under the Parliamentary (Disclosure of Interests) Act 1996. This is part of the Commission’s legislated role to monitor the disclosures register, and any other register relating to the conduct of Members of Parliament.
As we have done in the past, the project will include an administrative review of the declarations made by Tasmanian MPs and MLCs. For the first time, it will also include an audit of a random sample of disclosures to see whether members are declaring all of their actual interests. Previous reviews were carried out in 2017 and 2018, with the Commission foreshadowing that we would undertake more forensic reviews in future.
The Commission will also be looking at best practice when it comes to disclosures of interests and the monitoring of risk registers, to see how Tasmania compares with other jurisdictions.
The aim of this project is to monitor compliance with the Register, encourage more active disclosures of interests, and gain insight and intelligence as to the requirement and value in investing greater resources in this area. Past reviews by the Commission have found disclosures lacking in accuracy and information, and this review is an opportunity to verify whether the system – including changes implemented as a result of previous audits – is working.
This is the first time the Commission has publicly reported on its monitoring work before a project has commenced. The project is part of the Commission’s objective to encourage transparency and enhance public confidence in the conduct of public officers.
The Commission intends to table a report in Parliament at the end of the project in early 2022.
Media release by Greg Melick AO SC Chief Commissioner
Media contact
Michael Easton, Chief Executive Officer
michael.easton@integrity.tas.gov.au
Ph: 1300 720 289