An exasperated Queensland Premier has told journalists to “get their facts correct” after copping another barrage of questions over the state government’s rolling integrity imbroglio.
Labor leader Annastacia Palaszczuk was in Coomera on Thursday to open a new State Special School, but once again her morning press conference was wrenched in the direction of integrity matters that have dogged her government for the past couple of weeks.
Among other matters, the Premier was asked why she referred the outgoing integrity commission chair Nikola Stepanov to a parliamentary committee with the power to sack her.
Ms Palaszczuk denied Ms Stepanov’s allegations that she had been referred to the Economics and Governance Committee for raising concerns about “suspicious” conduct within the Palaszczuk government back in 2020.
But the Premier would not reveal what it was that made her refer Ms Stepanov, whose office regulates lobbying and advises MPs on issues of probity.
“I can’t say, as some matters are before the CCC (Crime and Corruption Commission),” Ms Palaszczuk told reporters on Thursday.
“The matters that were referred to the committee were not what she alleges. So I have made that very clear.”
Ms Stepanov announced last week she would be leaving the integrity commission in July, having accepted another role late last year.
The announcement comes as the CCC investigates claims that the Queensland public service interfered with her office, including wiping data off a laptop.
Incidentally, the CCC is itself being investigated for its own conduct, and how it has handled of a number of failed prosecutions.
This week, it was announced that legendary judge Tony Fitzgerald – who in 1989 led a landmark inquiry into Queensland government corruption – would spend six months investigating the CCC with retired supreme court judge Alan Wilson QC.
CCC chairman Alan MacSporran stood down last week following a damning report that accused him of failing to ensure the organisation acted independently and impartially in its handling of an investigation into Logan City Council.
Meanwhile, Ms Palaszczuk on Thursday also asked a journalist not to “make stuff up” when she was asked why former state archivist Mike Summerell felt he could not raise concerns on matters of integrity.
“I think we’re going around in circles,” Ms Palaszczuk told the journalist.
“I think you need to get your facts correct.”
Ms Palaszczuk said she had “no problems” with people raising issues, but she noted some of Mr Summerell’s concerns related to matters more than five years ago, while he himself had left the government’s employ last March.
Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman called a press conference a couple of hours later, asking Opposition leader David Crisafulli why – if he was so concerned about matters of integrity – had he not demanded Prime Minister Scott Morrison set up a federal corruption watchdog.
“This is a government that has been focused on Queenslanders and their health and the LNP have been missing in action for the last two years and are nowxjmtzyw only interested in scoring cheap points,” Ms Fentiman said.
