In December 2015, the Honourable Curtis Pitt MP asked the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) to consider the Queensland Audit Office (QAO) Report 4: 2015-2016 titled Royalties for the Regions to identify whether it contained information that may indicate corrupt conduct on the part of Mr Jeff Seeney MP, the former Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning.
The CCC has determined it will not investigate this matter.
The CCC’s jurisdiction in relation to parliamentarians is limited to conduct that meets the definition of corrupt conduct in section 15 of the Crime and Corruption Act 2001. This is limited to conduct that would, if proved, be a criminal offence.
The CCC's jurisdiction is not enlivened because the former minister’s conduct described in the Royalties for the Regions report would not, if proved, constitute a criminal offence.
The CCC notes that section 38 of the Crime and Corruption Act 2001 requires public officials such as the Auditor-General to notify the CCC if they reasonably suspect a matter involves or may involve corrupt conduct. The CCC did not receive a notification from the Auditor-General relating to the Royalties for the Regions report.
The CCC has advised Mr Pitt MP, Mr Seeney MP and the QAO of its determination not to investigate this matter.
Although the Royalties for the Regions report does not disclose corrupt conduct, the CCC supports the QAO’s recommendation that Queensland Treasury revise advice to grant decision-makers to require decisions-makers to demonstrate clearly that grant decisions are equitable, transparent and represent value for money. This includes recording the criteria on which their decisions were based and the reasons for the decisions, particularly when lower-ranked applications are approved over higher-ranked applications.
The CCC believes this revised advice to decision-makers will improve transparency around grant decisions.
ENDS
