The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will visit the Riverina region next week as part of its rural and regional outreach program to share anti-corruption initiatives and training across the state.
The visit, to be based in Wagga Wagga, will include a series of events and activities including workshops for public officials located in the area, visits to local councils, information sessions for local electorate staff, and visits to local TAFEs and high schools.
ICAC Chief Commissioner the Hon John Hatzistergos AM will host a community leaders' forum in Wagga Wagga on 15 May. At the forum, Chief Commissioner Hatzistergos will be joined for a panel discussion by the NSW Ombudsman, Paul Miller PSM, the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission Chief Commissioner, the Hon Peter Johnson SC, and – attending an ICAC rural and regional outreach program for the first time – the Hon Paul Brereton AM RFD SC, Commissioner of the National Anti-Corruption Commission. The panel will discuss the roles of their organisations, regional issues, and how the community can contribute to helping oversight agencies fulfil their functions. Approximately 60 guests will attend the community leaders' forum, including elected representatives and senior staff from local, state and Commonwealth government agencies and community interest groups.
Chief Commissioner Hatzistergos said that the rural and regional outreach program helps the Commission to connect with public officials and communities outside the metropolitan area, in a way that is more personable than remotely tuning in to workshops and talks.
"I believe that the experience of sharing information in person is invaluable, and while having remote connectivity is a way of life today, discussing matters and learning face-to-face still has an important place. We are looking forward to sharing the latest in anti-corruption initiatives across the Riverina region next week," Chief Commissioner Hatzistergos said.
Workshops scheduled for this visit include corruption prevention for managers, which focuses on developing an understanding of the nature of corruption, how and why it occurs, and what managers can do to prevent it; corruption prevention in procurement and contract management, which aims to assist managers and staff responsible for procurement to identify where systems weaknesses and corruption opportunities may lie; and corruption prevention for planners and regulatory officers, which will assist these officers to identify and manage the corruption risks in their roles.
Workshops and visits to be held or undertaken next week include local councils in locations such as Leeton, Lockhart, Narrandera, Albury, Holbrook (Greater Hume Shire Council), Coolamon, Junee, Temora and Cootamundra-Gundagai (Regional Council). Sessions for electorate staff will include participants from the Albury, Cootamundra, Murray and Wagga Wagga electorate offices.
The ICAC rural and regional outreach program has proved highly successful since its inception in 2001. Previous visits have included to the Illawarra, western NSW, the south-east, the central west, the north coast, the northern inland, the south coast, the far west, the Hunter, Central Coast and the Blue Mountains. The last visit to the Riverina region was based in Albury in 2017.
