Treasurer Must Tell Committees About Integrity Agency Budgets and Follow Stricter Emergency Funding Rules
Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024
Legislative Council
Legislative Assembly
Assent
Topics
anti-corruption auditor general budget allocation elections electoral commission government accountability government oversight government spending integrity agencies parliamentary oversight public finance public funding +7 more
Introduced by: The Hon John Graham MLC (ALP); Jo Haylen MP (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Alister Henskens LIB
“The Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024 is the latest in an interesting—some might find it interesting, others might not—history of funding arrangements for our integrity agencies. Indeed, the issues contained in the bill have been bouncing around in one form or another since early 2020.”
Edmond Atalla ALP
“I speak in support of the Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024. This legislation has been a long time in the making. Many past members of the Parliament and some members who are still here have worked on the issue of how to make sure our integrity agencies have independence in their funding and in their relationship with the Government.”
Kobi Shetty GRN
“On behalf of The Greens, I indicate that we will support the Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024 even though it falls well short of delivering on Labor’s election promise to deliver independent funding for the ICAC. "We can’t wait until 2023." That is what they said.”
Hugh McDermott ALP
“As Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney General and member for Prospect, I speak on the Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024. This long-awaited piece of legislation fulfills Labor’s 2023 election promise of independent funding for the State’s integrity agencies. I thank the Hon.”
David Mehan ALP
“As Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer I contribute to debate on the Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024. The Government is committed to ensuring that the integrity agencies receive appropriate funding to undertake their important work, and that the funding arrangements for integrity agencies do not impede their independence.”
David Saliba ALP
“I speak in support of the Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024.”
Jo Haylen ALP
“The bill proposes amendments to the Government Sector Finance Act 2018 to provide arrangements to safeguard the independence of integrity agencies and enhance transparency with respect to their funding. The amendments will complement the Treasurer’s Direction TD24-12 Charter of Independence for NSW integrity agencies, which codifies special arrangements for the funding of our integrity agencies.”
News articles and press releases
Government Sector Finance Amendment (Integrity Agencies) Bill 2024
The Hon. JOHN GRAHAM, Minister for Roads — 2024-08-08
The bill proposes amendments to the Government Sector Finance Act 2018 to provide arrangements to safeguard the independence of integrity agencies and enhance transparency with respect to their funding. The integrity agencies—that is, the Audit Office, Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission [LECC], NSW Electoral Commission and the Ombudsman’s Office—are independent and are not subject to the control or direction of the Executive Government. Instead, the integrity agencies are generally accountable to the Parliament. With one exception, the Acts of Parliament establishing the integrity agencies also designate a parliamentary committee, comprised of members of Parliament, with functions relating to monitoring and reviewing the integrity agencies.