Date:

Thursday 8 May 2008

Time:

6.00pm

Location:

Building DB25 (campus map, pdf file), Room DB25-001, JCU Douglas Campus, Angus Smith Drive, TOWNSVILLE

Video conferenced to: Room A3.2, JCU Cairns Campus, McGregor Road, Smithfield, CAIRNS

Summary:

This public lecture explores issues relating to the various reforms to police accountability in Australia. It begins by briefly describing the key elements of the reforms that have occurred over the past two decades.

Key examples of the reform processes are drawn from Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and Victoria. An underlying issue concerns our ability to identify the success or failure of such reforms and the interaction between internal and external accountability mechanisms with the main focus on external accountability mechanisms.

It is argued that we have shifted significantly from the traditional focus on individuals involved in police malpractice towards addressing more systemic organisational issues. It will be argued that on the one hand there is a shared element to these reforms, with a new structural model of accountability that is based on the earlier reforms to investigative powers in the areas of corporate and organized crime. This refers to the highly intrusive powers given to new police accountability agencies, such as covert surveillance powers and the power to demand answers to questions or the provision of documentary materials.

On the other hand, there remain many unresolved issues concerning which is the best structure for police accountability agencies. It will be argued that there are three different models operating in these jurisdictions: the ‘plural governance’ model of NSW, the ‘sovereign model’ of Victoria, and the ‘mixed model’ of Queensland and Western Australia. Each of these models will be explained with comments concerning both their positive and negative aspects.

Speaker:

Dr Darren Palmer

School of History, Heritage and Society

Deakin University.

Presented by:

Faculty of Arts, Education and Social Sciences

Contact:

Everyone welcome. For further information, please cantact Robina McDermott, Tel: (07) 4781 4451; E-mail: robina.mcdermott@jcu.edu.au