ICAC Enforcement Risks - September 2023

The Integrity State Corruption prevention recommendations report authored by the Hon. Ann Vanstone KC, Commissioner and published in September 2023 on page 20 has a section titled Risks associated with enforcement powers which focused on failures at the City of Norwood, Payneham and St Peters.

The report does not name the properties however SPRA are only aware of one encroachment issue which is along the top bank of the St Peters Billabong

The Commission investigated allegations of corruption among council officers. It was reported that officers ignored the encroachment of several private properties onto council land upon receiving inducements from property owners. The allegations were not substantiated.

The report goes on to say:

Commission investigators were told that after investigating a complaint of encroachment, an officer concluded erroneously that there was no encroachment. No justification for this conclusion was documented. At the same time, other council staff were aware there was an encroachment; but this information was not provided to the investigating officer.
Mistakes of this nature raise suspicion.

It will be interesting to see if ICAC has an opinion on council restricting public access, when they wrote and how many of the recommendations have been implemented:

Accessibility to public land is important. Complaints that residents are unlawfully appropriating public land ought to be promptly investigated and addressed.

SPRA notes that this was not was not included in the ESCOSA advice to local government and wonder if it should be part of the report.

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The NPSP Blocking Access to Billabong article contains additional commentary and letters from Dunstan election candidates.