The PSA will strongly oppose any NSW Government attempt to rip $14 million dollars out of NSW Government Integrity agencies.
PSA members will be aware of recent reports that the NSW Government may be cutting funding to NSW Integrity agencies. Integrity agencies play a vital role in auditing the use of public money, investigating corruption and misconduct, ensuring Governments meet their responsibilities to the community and conducting independent, democratic elections. They are concerned these reported funding cuts will result in job cuts, which could negatively impact trust in the NSW Government.
These funding cuts are reported to impact the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the Audit Office, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission, the NSW Ombudsman, and the NSW Electoral Commission.
Integrity agencies keep NSW community trust in NSW Government. To reportedly rip $14 million dollars out of NSW integrity agencies is to rip trust out of the NSW community.
The NSW Government has questions to answer, including:
- If funding is cut, will the ICAC be able to keep effectively investigating possible corruption in the NSW Government?
- If funding is cut, will The Audit Office be able to properly ensure every dollar of public money is accounted for?
- If funding is cut, will the NSW Ombudsman be able to successfully protect tenants in social housing from unfair eviction? And how will this impact the child protection system (an area the NSW Ombudsman is one of the last lines of defence in)?
- If funding is cut, how will the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission keep ensuring that misconduct is detected in the NSW Police Force and the NSW Crime Commission?
- If funding is cut, how will the this impact the NSW Electoral Commissions ability to uphold free and fair democratic elections in NSW?
The PSA immediately issued a media release, with PSA General Secretary Stewart Little stating that “Independent and consistent funding, which is allocated at arm’s length from the government, is needed urgently. Keeping NSW corruption free shouldn’t be treated as a line item in the budget, it is a core service we need”.
The PSA calls on the NSW Government – do not cut funding to our integrity agencies.
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