Key facts
- Queensland's CCC investigated 20 of 6,198 corruption complaints in 2025-26.
- The CCC referred 4,244 complaints back to the agencies involved.
- A 2022 inquiry recommended an independent police integrity unit by May 2024.
- The state government has not yet established the recommended police integrity unit.
- Police Minister Dan Purdie stated police have robust complaint systems overseen by the CCC.
Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) investigated only 20 out of 6,198 corruption complaints received in the 2025-26 fiscal year, according to its annual report tabled in state parliament. The majority of complaints, 4,244, were referred back to the agencies concerned, including the police, local government, and public service departments, while 1,934 were deemed to require no further action.
This statistic has intensified pressure on the state government to implement a recommendation from a landmark 2022 commission of inquiry into police responses to domestic violence. That inquiry, which considered cases of conflicts of interest and lack of independence in police investigations of their own officers, had recommended the creation of a new, independent police integrity unit by May 2024 to handle all complaints against police. Despite cross-party backing for the recommendation, progress has stalled.
Criminology professor Tim Prenzler, who advised the 2022 inquiry, described the current approach as "discredited" and "facilitating misconduct through impunity." He argued that the statistics indicate a "near zero chance" of independent investigation for complaints against government departments like the police, leading to further trauma for complainants and whistleblowers. Prenzler stated there is no rational justification for the delay in establishing the police integrity unit.
Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie asserted that the police force has "robust systems" for handling complaints about officers, with all matters overseen by the CCC. When asked about the timeline for establishing the independent unit, Purdie deferred the question to the attorney general. The annual report also noted that the number of corruption complaints has been steadily increasing, up approximately 47% in the last four years.