Writer
Stephen Charles
Stephen Charles is a retired judge who served on the Supreme Court of Victoria Court of Appeal between 1995 and 2006. He is a member of the boards of the Centre for Public Integrity and the Accountability Round Table.
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The NACC’s refusal to consider Robodebt
In creating an integrity commission – the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) – the Albanese government was entrusted to ensure federal integrity. Instead it has wasted a fortune on a body that can’t or won’t do its job. Continue reading »
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The Voice and Australia’s democracy crisis
The dire state of truth in Australia’s civic space crystallised in 2023. We had seen the waning influence of News Corp’s impact on our elections and assumed it meant that enough of us were becoming inoculated against the propaganda. The defeat of the notoriously mendacious Coalition government might have signalled a ceasefire, a moment for Continue reading »
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Only parliaments are able to set up integrity bodies, but politicians hate and fear them
The Victorian government has just acted to ensure that the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) is neutered by a subtle gambit in the crafting of the advertisement seeking applicants for the position of Commissioner. Continue reading »
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Strengthening IBAC must be Victorian government’s priority
Victoria’s integrity body, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), is a deeply flawed institution. It has been hobbled by the Liberal government that created it and in the too-limited reforms implemented by the Labor government that followed. It is clear that both major parties have been reluctant to give the body the teeth it requires Continue reading »
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The NACC Bill: Public hearings crucial to integrity
While the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) Bill is a major achievement, there are some blemishes. Public hearings are a crucial mechanism in promoting integrity and investigating and exposing corruption and should not be limited. Continue reading »
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The prime minister’s attack on the NSW ICAC is wholly unjustified
The Coalition’s proposal for a national integrity commission shows an arrogant and contemptuous disdain for community demands such a body. Continue reading »
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The trials of Bernard Collaery and Witness K
Australia’s bugging of Timor-Leste’s Cabinet rooms and subsequent hounding of Bernard Collaery and a former intelligence officer was a display of mendacity, duplicity, fraud, criminal trespass and contempt of international law. Continue reading »
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A strong federal integrity commission requires public hearings
The Coalition parliamentarians who don’t want a federal integrity commission to hold public hearings are among the very people that should be required to answer questions from an integrity commission. Continue reading »
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Even a brown paper bag filled with cash may not be enough to start an investigation
The recent release of Australian Electoral Commission political donation figures has put the lack of transparency back in the spotlight. This issue is also behind the push for a federal integrity commission. But the Coalition government, which is by far the largest recipient of political donations, has no intention of reforming the system and is Continue reading »
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Porter’s integrity commission is designed to trick the public into thinking the Coalition is serious about tackling corruption
Mr Porter’s proposed Commonwealth Integrity Commission, in the public sector division, will not be able to investigate supposed corruption, won’t discover any corruption, and will certainly not expose any. Continue reading »
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Australia must have a strong corruption watchdog, but the Coalition shows little interest.
It is now obvious that Australia needs, and most of the community is demanding, a strong national integrity commission. Not, however, the Coalition. Continue reading »
