The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) is an independent agency of the Government of New South Wales with responsibility for investigating corrupt practices by state and local officials in the state of New South Wales. The ICAC was established in 1988 by then premier Nick Greiner. The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. ... Capital Sydney Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Professor Marie Bashir Premier Morris Iemma (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 50  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $305,437 (1st)  - Product per capita  $45,153/person (4th) Population (End of March 2006)  - Population  6,817,100 (1st)  - Density  8. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nicholas Franciscus Hugo Greiner (born April 27, 1947) was the parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales, Australia and also Premier from 1988 to 1992. ...

The organisation is typically referred to by its initials, as in "the I-C-A-C", or simply as "ikak".

Structure and operation

The ICAC has jurisdiction over state and local government in New South Wales. This extends to parliamentarians, local councillors, the Governor of New South Wales, public servants and police as well as staff of universities and state-owned corporations. The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. ... List of Governors of New South Wales See Governors of the Australian states for a description and history of the office of Governor. ...

Anyone can refer matters to the commission.

The commission has the coercive powers of a Royal Commission and can compel witnesses to testify. Where the ICAC rules that an official has acted corruptly, the charges are referred to the criminal justice system for trial. In states that are Commonwealth Realms a Royal Commission is a major government public inquiry into an issue. ...

The ICAC is led by a single commissioner, who, though the agency belongs within the New South Wales Premier's Department, reports directly to the presiding officers of the Parliament of New South Wales. The commissioner serves a single five-year term and cannot be dismissed except by the Governor. The Parliament of New South Wales consists of the Governor of New South Wales, the New South Wales Legislative Council and the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. ...

Development

The 1980s saw a number of corruption scandals break around Australia, involving the Labor administrations in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia and the National Party administration in Queensland. The National Party of Australia is an Australian conservative political party, which claims to represent rural voters. ...

In 1988, Greiner, a Liberal, ran against Labor in New South Wales on an anti-corruption platform and won. Introducing legislation to establish the ICAC, Grenier told Parliament that The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. ...

In recent years, in New South Wales we have seen: a Minister of the Crown gaoled for bribery; an inquiry into a second, and indeed a third, former Minister for alleged corruption; the former Chief Stipendiary Magistrate gaoled for perverting the course of justice; a former Commissioner of Police in the courts on a criminal charge; the former Deputy Commissioner of Police charged with bribery; a series of investigations and court cases involving judicial figures including a High Court Judge; and a disturbing number of dismissals, retirements and convictions of senior police officers for offences involving corrupt conduct ... No government can maintain its claim to legitimacy while there remains the cloud of suspicion and doubt that has hung over government in New South Wales.

History

The ICAC's first task was to investigate the activities of the previous Wran and Unsworth governments. No charges were recommended by the commission. Neville Kenneth Wran AC QC (born October 11, 1926) was the Premier of New South Wales from 1976 until 1986. ... Barrie Unsworth (born Dubbo, 16 April 1934), is an Australian politician. ...

In 1992, the ICAC ruled that Greiner offer of a government job to former minister Terry Metherell was an act of corruption. Although the charges were later dismissed by the courts, the four independent MPs on whom the premier relied for a majority in the Legislative Assembly indicated that they would not support his leadership. Greiner resigned and was replaced by John Fahey. John Fahey ( February 28, 1939–February 22, 2001) was an American guitarist and composer, and one of the first guitarists to perform solo instrumental steel-string acoustic guitar. ...

Commissioners

The ICAC is led by a single commissioner, who serves for a non-renewable term of five years. Four people have held the post since the commission's establishment.

• Ian Temby QC, 13 March 1989 to 12 March 1994
• The Honourable Barry O'Keefe AM, QC, from 14 November 1994 to 13 November 1999
• Irene Moss AO from 14 November 1999 to 13 November 2004
• The Honourable Jerrold Cripps QC from 14 November 2004

Ian Temby (born 1942) - Q.C., Officer in the Order of Australia (AO). ...

High-profile cases

• Nick Greiner and Terry Metherell
• Nola Fraser
• Orange Grove affair

Nicholas Franciscus Hugo Greiner (born April 27, 1947) was the parliamentary leader of the Liberal Party in New South Wales, Australia and also Premier from 1988 to 1992. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... The Orange Grove affair is an ongoing political scandal in Australia concerning the dealings of the New South Wales state Australian Labor Party government with multinational corporation The Westfield Group. ...

External links

• ICAC web site
• ICAC Act second reading speech