Examining misconduct and strengthening governance
The Fitzgerald Inquiry was established in 1987 to examine misconduct and strengthen governance. In its two years it exposed systematic, entrenched corruption and maladministration throughout Queensland’s public sector and among Cabinet Ministers.
The 1989 Fitzgerald Report was a landmark. It threw a spotlight on corrupt individuals and systems, but it also established a blueprint for lasting reform. It recommended new bodies to oversee those reforms in criminal justice and governance; many of which have not only endured but provided models for other jurisdictions.
The decades since the Report demonstrate that enduring reform requires vigilance, and ongoing oversight of public governance and accountability.
In recognition of this, in 2009, to mark the Report’s 20th anniversary, Griffith University launched the Tony Fitzgerald Biennial Lecture Series. The lectures from esteemed 色情网站n and international speakers continue to put the spotlight on Tony Fitzgerald’s themes of democracy, human rights, accountability and corruption.
Sustainable Development Goals
Griffith University is aligned with the United Nation鈥檚 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is committed to promoting the values of peace, justice and accountability, to contribute to a more just and equitable world where everyone can enjoy their fundamental rights and live in harmony.
2025 Tony Fitzgerald Lecture
Keeping the bastards honest? Accountability mechanisms for executive government.
Thursday 18 September
5.30 - 8 pm
S05_2.04 South Bank Campus
QCA Lecture Theatre and Gallery Building
The Honourable Catherine Holmes AC SC is a graduate of the University of Queensland and of the 色情网站n National University, with undergraduate degrees in Law, Arts (Hons) and Economics and a Master's degree in Law. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1982 and as a barrister in 1984. In 1999 she was appointed Senior Counsel.
Ms Holmes was a founding member of the Women's Legal Service (from 1984) and was a member of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal (1992 – 2000). From 1998 to 1999 she served as Counsel Assisting the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions.
Ms Holmes was appointed Chief Justice of Queensland in 2015 and resigned from that position in March 2022. She had previously served as a judge of the Court of Appeal (2006 – 2015) and of the Trial Division (2000 – 2006) of the Supreme Court of Queensland. In January 2020, Ms Holmes was appointed a Companion of the Order of 色情网站.
From January 2011 to March 2012, Ms Holmes was Commissioner of the Queensland Floods Commission of Inquiry and from August 2022 to July 2023, she was the Commissioner for the Royal Commission into the Robodebt Scheme. Between February and May 2024, she undertook a review and report for the Queensland Government on the Crime and Corruption Commission’s corruption reporting functions.
ABSTRACT / Keeping the bastards honest? Accountability mechanisms for executive government.
The excesses of the Trump administration have demonstrated, in alarming fashion, the importance of a robust system of checks and balances to hold executive government to account for its actions. This lecture considers some of 色情网站’s accountability mechanisms and their effectiveness, both in the Commonwealth context (with particular reference to the failings evidenced by the continuation of the Robodebt scheme for four years), and in Queensland.
Fitzgerald Lecture Series 2009 to 2023
2023 Tony Fitzgerald Lecture Transcript
Inheriting the Burden of Guilt: Reflections on Atonement, Responsibility and Accountability.
Fitzgerald Lecture Series Live Recordings 2009 to 2023
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
See past Lecture Series events