MEDIA RELEASE – Right to Silence is precious: but Integrity Commission must be able to compel answers, 18 June 2026
Statement by Peter George, Independent MP for Franklin:
Long-overdue proposed changes to Tasmania’s Integrity Commission leave the state out of step with mainland state and federal integrity bodies and much weaker.
Recommendations to strengthen the Integrity Commission’s work first proposed in 2016 removed the right to silence for witnesses before the commission, while preserving protections from self-incrimination.
That recommendation informed the original draft amendments circulated by the Attorney-General but the draft tabled in Parliament today has omitted the change.
I’ll be seeking meetings with the Attorney-General to understand why there’s been a change of heart as it clearly weakens the ability of the Integrity Commission to do its job well.
The decision to omit the right to compel evidence flies in the face of reforms first proposed by the Cox Report in 2016 and that have been sitting on the shelf ever since.
The absence of the measure substantially weakens the Integrity Commission’s work of holding public figures - including MPs and ministers - to account for their actions and deeds.
The Cox recommendations maintained a balance between personal freedoms and enabling the Integrity Commission to do its work properly, adopting a well-established model used by anti-corruption and integrity agencies around the country: individuals can be compelled to answer questions, but those answers cannot generally be used against them in subsequent criminal proceedings.
This strikes an appropriate balance between individual rights and the public’s right to an honest, accountable government.
The Attorney-General should return the provision to the draft legislation and then ensure it is passed through Parliament.
