Crime and Corruption Amendment Bill 2015

Overview

This bill reforms the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC), Queensland's anti-corruption watchdog, by restoring its independence and broadening how people can report corruption. It reverses several changes made in 2014, separating the CEO role from the commissioners, requiring cross-party agreement on senior appointments, and bringing back the CCC's power to prevent corruption and run its own research.

Who it affects

Anyone wanting to report corruption in government gains the ability to do so anonymously. Public sector staff and agencies will see the CCC take a more active role in helping them prevent corruption, while senior CCC appointments will require bipartisan support from a parliamentary committee.

Key changes

• People can report corruption anonymously - statutory declarations are no longer required
• The CCC regains its role in preventing corruption and building integrity across the public sector, not just investigating it
• Senior CCC appointments (chairperson, deputy, commissioners and CEO) need bipartisan support from the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee
• The CCC's CEO is no longer a commissioner, and acting appointments are capped at three months without bipartisan support
• The CCC can run its own research without needing ministerial approval
• References to 'chairman' are replaced with 'chairperson' across the CC Act and 13 other Queensland Acts