LNP ANNOUNCES LAW TO REPAIR INTEGRITY IN GOVERNMENT

CRITICAL INTEGRITY LAWS INTRODUCED TO PARLIAMENT

The LNP has today introduced the Crime and Corruption Amendment Bill to Parliament in a bid to restore integrity in government that has been trashed under Labor.

The Private Members Bill will fix the Crime and Corruption Act 2001 (CCA) because the Palaszczuk Labor Government has failed to do so.

It will confirm the power of the CCC to release reports following corruption investigations.

The LNP has been forced to take this action due to the Labor Government’s inaction.

The new law would be retrospective to allow the CCC’s reports into Labor mate Peter Carne and former Deputy Premier Jackie Trad to be made public.

This Bill addresses the deficiency in the law identified by the High Court in the recent decision of Crime and Corruption Commission v. Carne [2023] HCA 28.

The Crime and Corruption Amendment Bill will:

• ​address the deficiency in the reporting powers of the CCC found by the High Court
• reverse a 2018 amendment that omitted the Director of Prosecutions from s.49 of the CCA (s12 Crime and Corruption and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2018)
• make provision for the release of CCC reports of inquiries into former Public Trustee and well-known Labor identity Peter Carne and former Labor Treasurer, Deputy Premier and Member for South Brisbane Jackie Trad as recommended by CCC Chair Mr Bruce Barbour

Shadow Attorney-General Tim Nicholls said the LNP had been forced to take this action.

“If the Labor Government believes in openness and transparency, they have no choice but to support this Bill,” Mr Nicholls said.

“By failing to act and act urgently Labor is acting only to protect itself, protect its Labor mates and protect its re-election prospects.

“The LNP Opposition is doing what this Government should have been in a position to do almost immediately after the High Court decision was delivered.

"I understand why many Queenslanders might refer to this Bill as 'Trad's Law'.

“We will act to fix the deficiencies in the Crime and Corruption Act and along the way implement other longstanding and outstanding matters recommended by past inquiries.

“We will act to restore the integrity that is so sorely missing under the Labor Government.”