'Natural synergy' of Office for Public Integrity and ICAC in South Australia ended by changes in 2021
The shared operations of South Australia's OPI (Office of Public Integrity) and the ICAC (Independent Commission Against Corruption) were ended with changes made by the state's parliament in 2021.
The nexus between the South Australian Office for Public Integrity and its Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), both formed in 2012 to operate together, was broken in 2021.
This was part of wider changes to the ICAC Act by the South Australian parliament in 2021 that also had the ombudsman take over ICAC’s powers to investigate public misconduct and maladministration. The Office for Public Integrity operated largely as the public face of the IAC’s operations and where all complaints made about improper conduct in public administration were made.
The first ICAC commissioner Bruce Lander saw the “natural synergy” between ICAC and OPI that “allowed for a holistic approach to dealing with corruption, misconduct and maladministration in public administration”. Lander said the South Australian ICAC legislative scheme, involving the reactive and proactive functions of the ICAC and OPI, allowed the organisations “to explore the connections between corruption, misconduct and maladministration in a comprehensive and integrated manner.”
Lander saw that ICAC scheme as allowing it go beyond simply identifying and investigating corruption to provide a prevention and education that improved public administration.
The natural synergy with ICAC was broken when the Office for Public Integrity became an independent stand-alone body on October 7 2021.
The Office for Public Integrity would continue to handle complaints about public administration from members of the public. Reports about corruption would continue to go to the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Reports about misconduct and maladministration in public administration would go to Ombudsman SA.
Complaints about the legal system would go to the judicial conduct commissioner. The Office for Public Integrity also oversaw the assessment and investigation of complaints and reports about the conduct of South Australian police officers.