The circle of life.
The selection of Fitzgerald lurches the retired corruption buster back into the Queensland political spotlight,but not for the first time since his transformative inquiry.
More than a decade ago,Fitzgerald warned Queensland was slipping back into its “dark past” of cronyism and secrecy.
Speaking in 2009 to mark the 20th anniversary of his report,which was so damaging to the National Party,Fitzgerald took the opportunity to criticise the ethics of the Beattie and Bligh Labor governments.
“Access can now be purchased,patronage is dispensed,mates and supporters are appointed and retired politicians exploit their connections to obtain ‘success fees’ for deals between business and government,”he told a Griffith University audience in July 2009.
Fitzgerald made another brief foray into Queensland politics during the Newman government years,criticising the 2014 appointment of Tim Carmody as Chief Justice.
Since then,he did little to hide his disdain for politics,and politicians,in the Sunshine State.
“They’re all just self-interested politicians and I’ve sought refuge from them in a zone of total indifference,” he told this masthead in 2016,in response to Labor’s reintroduction of compulsory preferential voting.
After accepting the role on Monday,Fitzgerald told this masthead:“I was asked to do it and couldn’t see any good reason to refuse.”
He then indicated he would not offer any further public comments,at least for now.
It may be a “Fitzgerald 2.0” in name,but not in nature. The renowned QC’s brief here is limited.
Fitzgerald’s terms of reference include a review of the CCC’s investigatory and charging structure,and the role of police officers seconded to the CCC.
Ultimately,there is no better shorthand for fighting corruption in Queensland than the word “Fitzgerald”. It’s a headline-grabber,for sure,and a circuit-breaker for a government keen to draw a line through any talk of integrity scandals.
But Fitzgerald 2.0 it is not.