ICAC regional corruption prevention program to visit Newcastle area this week
Monday 10 March‚ 2008
The Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) will visit the Newcastle area this week (11 - 13 March) as part of a program that takes anti-corruption initiatives and training to regions across the State.
The visit is the second part of the ICAC's Hunter Outreach visit, following on from the initial visit to Maitland/Cessnock which was held in November last year. It will include workshops and briefing sessions for state government agencies on corruption risks and prevention strategies.
The ICAC Commissioner, The Hon Jerrold Cripps QC, said the outreach visit to regional and rural areas in NSW gives local agencies the opportunity to experience hands-on corruption prevention workshops with the ICAC's highly-skilled staff.
"The ICAC enjoyed a very successful visit to local government organisations in the Hunter last November," Commissioner Cripps said. "We are now looking forward to meeting with state government agencies in the area, and sharing some of the tools we have developed since our last general visit to the Hunter in 2002.
"Our activities will include workshops on protected disclosures, corruption prevention for managers, school workshops and liaison visits to some of the state government agencies in the area.
"The visit will also include the NSW Deputy Ombudsman Chris Wheeler, who will speak about protected disclosures, and Police Integrity Commissioner John Pritchard. Their presence will certainly enrich the experience for participants," Commissioner Cripps said.
State Government agencies attending the Outreach activities include the Department of Premier and Cabinet, the NSW Police Force, TAFE NSW, the Roads and Traffic Authority, the Department of Environment and Climate Change, Hunter Water and the Department of Primary Industries.
Commissioner Cripps will host a community leaders' breakfast on 11 March, which will be attended by approximately 50 people. Attendees will include local members of parliament, representatives from state government agencies, local business people and interest groups. Police Integrity Commissioner John Pritchard will also speak at the breakfast about police misconduct.
The ICAC outreach program has proved highly successful since its inception in 2001. It has included visits to the Illawarra, New England, the Hunter, Mudgee, the Far West, the South East, the Riverina, the Central Coast, the Central West and the North Coast.