Queensland Finally Appoints Chairman for Crime and Corruption Commission

Queensland Barrister Alan MacSporran has been appointed as the new chairman of the Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission. The appointment was made by Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on the 30 July 2015 after a drawn out battle between the Liberal National Party and the Labor Government over who should hold the position.

The Crime and Corruption Commission

The Crime and Corruption Commission is a statutory body with its powers and functions set out in the Crime and Corruption Act 2001 (QLD). Its purpose is to combat and reduce the incidence of major crime and corruption in the public sector in Queensland. It has the jurisdiction to investigate both crime and corruption within the police force and the public sector as well as provide protection to witnesses in these cases. It is the only integrity agency in Australia with this range of functions.

According to the Commission’s website, it:

• investigates organised crime, paedophilia, terrorist activity and other serious crime referred to it for investigation;
• receives and investigates allegations of serious or systemic corrupt conduct;
• helps recover the proceeds of crime;
• provides the witness protection service for the state of Queensland; and
• conducts research on crime, policing or other relevant matters.

The Commission often act in partnership with other state, national and international law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies to share intelligence with, support and participate in joint investigations with other agencies.

Recent Investigations

A notable investigation conducted by the Commission recently was the examination of how a $16.69 million fraud was committed on Queensland Health. In December 2011 Queensland Health identified a fraudulent transaction of $11 million of public funds paid to Healthy Initiatives and Choices (HIC), a trading name registered to one of its own employees, Hohepa Morehu-Barlow. Further investigation identified this transaction to be the latest in a series of 65 fraudulent transactions totalling $16.69 million and committed over a four-year period commencing October 2007.

The Commission also conducted an examination into the suspected official misconduct at the University of Queensland where a school leaver was offered a place in the University’s undergraduate medical program without having met the entry requirements. The Commission highlighted the potential criminal misconduct arising from the incident.

Controversy over Appointment

The nomination of MacSporran attracted accusation from the LNP that Labor had engaged in a ‘sneaky deal’ to get its nominee approved. Katter's Australian Party MP Rob Katter took the place of a Labor MP on the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee last week, to give the Government the cross-party support required by law.  The appointment of Katter was opposed by the opposition who put forward their own nominee, Jeff Seeney, while Labor vehemently resisted the LNP’s push. As a result, the appointment to the Crime and Corruption Commission was languishing in the political struggle.

The Queensland government eventually won the battle and appointed Katter to the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee and MacSporran as the chairman of the Crime and Corruption Commission. Premier Palaszczuk announced:

The Opposition supported the appointment, with Shadow Attorney-General Ian Walker congratulating Mr MacSporran personally. "He brings a wealth of experience to this critical role," Mr Walker said.

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