Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business) Share this | Hansard source

(—) (): I present the government response to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity on its inquiry into the examination of the Annual report of the integrity commissioner 2018-19. I seek leave to incorporate the document in Hansard.

Leave granted.

The document read as follows—

Australian Government

Australian Government Response to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity Report:

Examination of the Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner 2018-19

December 2020

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE PARLIAMENTARY JOINT COMMITTEE ON THE AUSTRALIAN COMMISSION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT INTEGRITY REPORT: EXAMINATION OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE INTEGRITY COMMISSIONER 2018-19

The Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner 20 I 8-19 (Annual Report 2018-19) was tabled in the Senate on 11 November 2019 and the House of Representatives on 21 October 2019.

Paragraph 215(1) (c) of the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006 (LEIC Act) requires the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (PJC-ACLEI) to examine each annual report prepared by the Integrity Commissioner pursuant to section 201 of the LEIC Act, and to report to the Parliament on any matter appearing in, or arising out of, any such annual report.

The Committee held a public hearing to examine the Annual Report 2018-19 on 25 June 2020. On 3 September 2020, the Committee tabled its report, Examination of the Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner 2018-19, which made one recommendation.

The Government is pleased to respond to the Committee's recommendation.

Recommendation 1

The committee recommends that the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity (ACLEI) consider how it can collect data on investigations that are discontinued under section 42 of the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006, and report at a high level the reasons why investigations have been discontinued in ACLEI annual reports going forward.

Agreed.

The Government supports this recommendation. As noted in the Annual Report of the Integrity Commissioner 2019-20, ACLEI has now instituted a process to collect data on investigations that are discontinued under section 42 of the LEIC Act. ACLEI will include and report on this information in future annual reports.