The Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC) is the head of the Office of the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption, an

agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that ...

of the

Northern Territory Government The Government of the Northern Territory of Australia, also referred to as the Northern Territory Government, is the Australian territorial democratic administrative authority of the Northern Territory. The Government of Northern Territory wa ...

with responsibility for investigating

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

in the Territory public sector. Since July 2021, this position has been led by Michael Riches. The Commissioner operates under the ''Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2017'' (NT).

History

The first holder of the office was Kenneth Fleming . He was appointed on 13 June 2018 and commenced in the position on 2 July 2018. The office started accepting reports on 30 November 2018. In January 2020, the office received its 1000th complaint. At that time, 274 of the 848 complaints assessed had triggered some degree of investigation or referral. An investigation undertaken by ICAC found former Speaker

Kezia Purick Kezia Dorcas Tibisay Purick (born 12 May 1958) is an Australian politician. She is an independent member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having held her seat of Goyder since the 2008 election. Prior to entering Parliament, Pur ...

to have been responsible for corrupt conduct and serious breaches of public trust. Purick rejected the findings and took action in the Supreme Court after claiming that she was denied natural justice. Fleming generated controversy when he addressed a rally in

Alice Springs Alice Springs ( aer, Mparntwe) is the third-largest town in the Northern Territory of Australia. Known as Stuart until 31 August 1933, the name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William Whitfield Mills after Alice, Lady Todd (''née'' Al ...

, held in the aftermath of the death of Kumanjayi Walker, a Warlpiri man who was shot by NT police officer Constable Zachary Rolfe. In trying to assure the community of his

impartiality Impartiality (also called evenhandedness or fair-mindedness) is a principle of justice holding that decisions should be based on objective criteria, rather than on the basis of bias, prejudice, or preferring the benefit to one person over another ...

in the matter, he stated: "One of the most important messages today is: '

black lives matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

'... Anybody who says contrary to that is guilty of corrupt behaviour." The statement led to accusations of

bias Bias is a disproportionate weight ''in favor of'' or ''against'' an idea or thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair. Biases can be innate or learned. People may develop biases for or against an individual, a group, ...

, and Fleming, accepting that his words had been ill-chosen, stepped aside from involvement in matters concerning the case. Fleming announced his early retirement in January 2021, and retired in July of that year. Michael Riches was nominated for the appointment in May 2021 and took it up on 6 July 2021. On 2 April 2022, after the trial and acquittal of Rolfe on murder charges, Riches announced that he would be examining the few days leading up to Rolfe's arrest to assess allegations of improper conduct. He would then also decide on the value of a

public inquiry A tribunal of inquiry is an official review of events or actions ordered by a government body. In many common law countries, such as the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, Australia and Canada, such a public inquiry differs from a royal ...

to lay bare the matter. The allegations, made by the NT Police Association, the

Country Liberal Party The Country Liberal Party of the Northern Territory (CLP) is a centre-right political party in Australia's Northern Territory. In local politics it operates in a two-party system with the Australian Labor Party (ALP). It also contests federal ...

and Rolfe himself, suggested political interference by Chief Minister

Michael Gunner Michael Patrick Francis Gunner (born 6 January 1976) is an Australian politician and was the 11th Chief Minister of the Northern Territory from 2016 to 2022. He is a Labor member of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, having held his se ...

or Police Commissioner Jamie Chalker. Gunner strongly denied the allegations and said that he welcomed an inquiry.

Governance

The agency operates under the ''Independent Commissioner Against Corruption Act 2017'' (NT). ICAC reports to the

Chief Minister of the Northern Territory The chief minister of the Northern Territory is the head of government of the Northern Territory. The office is the equivalent of a state premier. When the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly was created in 1974, the head of government wa ...

, whose department created it.

Commissioners

Past

* Kenneth Fleming , 2 July 2018 to 6 July 2021

Incumbent

* Michael Riches, 6 July 2021 to present Michael Riches was formerly a solicitor for

South Australia Police South Australia Police (SAPOL) is the police force of the Australian state of South Australia. SAPOL is an independent statutory agency of the Government of South Australia directed by the Commissioner of Police, who reports to the Minister for ...

, before a stint at the Crown Solicitor's Office and then three years as deputy SA ICAC commissioner from around mid-2018. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Legal Studies and a Bachelor of Laws and Legal Practice (Honours), both from

Flinders University Flinders University is a public research university based in Adelaide, South Australia, with a footprint extending across 11 locations in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Founded in 1966, it was named in honour of British navigator ...

, as well as a Diploma in Public Safety.

References

External links

* {{Law enforcement in Australia Anti-corruption agencies in Australia Public servants of the Northern Territory 2018 establishments in Australia