In the late 1980s community concern about integrity in the NSW public sector reached new heights due to exposure of corruption among government ministers, within the judiciary and at senior levels of the police force.
Responding to this concern, the then NSW Opposition pledged to establish an anti-corruption agency with powers similar to that of a royal commission. They fulfilled the pledge as the NSW Government in July 1988 when the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988‚ was passed following extensive parliamentary debate. The Independent Commission Against Corruption was then established in March 1989 as an independent organisation monitored by a parliamentary committee. The Premier told Parliament that the measure of the ICAC's success would be the enhancement of integrity and the restoration of community confidence in public administration.
The Commissioner of the ICAC is appointed for a term of five years and must be qualified for appointment to the NSW Supreme Court. To this date the Commissioners have been:
| Mr Ian Temby QC | 13 March 1989 to 12 March 1994 |
| The Hon Barry O'Keefe AM, QC | 14 November 1994 to 13 November 1999 |
| Ms Irene Moss AO | 14 November 1999 to 13 November 2004 |
| The Hon Jerrold Cripps QC | 14 November 2004 to 13 November 2009 |
| The Hon David Ipp AO, QC | 14 November 2009 to present (term expires November 2014) |