Australia announces creation of anti-corruption commission

Sydney, Australia, Sep 27 (EFE).- Australia’s government on Tuesday announced a bill to create an independent commission in charge of investigating “serious or systematic corruption” in the public sector.

“The commission should have expectations that this commission is going to get on with the job of stamping out corruption in the Australian public sector,” Attorney General Mark Dreyfus said at a press conference in Canberra.

The bill will be presented in parliament on Wednesday.

The creation of this national commission, which will have discretionary and retroactive powers and will hold public hearings in “exceptional” cases, also provides greater protection for whistleblowers as well as exemptions for journalists so that they can protect the identity of their sources.

The Canberra government also plans to allocate some AU$262 million ($170 million) over the next four years for the establishment and operation of this commission.

The creation of this commission, which seeks to restore trust and integrity in the country’s political sphere, is one of the priorities of the Labor government of Anthony Albanese, who came to power in May.

His predecessor, Scott Morrison, whose Liberal-National coalition was in power for nine years, promised in 2018 to establish an anti-corruption body but did not. EFE

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