Griffith University Professor Patrick Weller AO said the symposium provided an important opportunity to reflect on changes to Queensland governance since the handing down of the Inquiry report.
Professor Weller, who is also Premier of Queensland Chair of Governance and Public Management, said the Fitzgerald Inquiry represented a decisive break with Queensland’s past.
“The Fitzgerald Inquiry initially looked at claims of police corruption but was broadened to investigate the structural issues which allowed corruption to flourish,” Professor Weller said.
“The resulting report led to a fundamental realignment of the institutions of the State from Parliament to the electoral system, the police force and administrative law.”
At the symposium Queensland Premier Peter Beattie will reflect on the inquiry’s significance for government in Queensland over the past two decades.
Queensland Police Minister Judy Spence and Commissioner Bob Atkinson will discuss reforms to the Queensland Police Service since 1987 and the challenges and opportunities in sustaining reform directions.
A panel of experts, who played key roles in the inquiry process, will also offer their insights into the significance of the inquiry in Queensland and elsewhere.
These include former Premier Mike Ahern, former Queensland 7.30 Report host Quentin Dempster, and former Electoral and Administrative Reform Commissioner Dr David Solomon.
“The debates generated by the Fitzgerald report still have continuing significance. Griffith University will pursue some of these agendas through the new Centre for Excellence in Policing and Security,” Professor Weller said.
The symposium will be held on Tuesday, May 22 from 6pm — 9pm at the Premiers’ Hall, Parliamentary Annexe and is jointly hosted by the Griffith University Centre for Governance and Public Policy and the Australia and New Zealand School of Government (ANZSOG).
ANZSOG is a consortium of Governments, universities and business schools. It is dedicated to promoting outstanding public sector leadership and policy for the community through education and research activities.