WA Crime and Corruption Commissioner

[Sydney Kicker]

With little explanation, one of WA's top crime fighters appears headed for the exit

Barring a monumental change in political circumstances, the Premier and Attorney-General must be forced to concede defeat on John McKechnie's reappointment, writes Jacob Kagi.

www.abc.net.au

Anyone know more about the story behind this than what has been revealed in the news?

Both major party leaders in WA support his reappointment (or so they say), yet the four person parliamentary Committee charged with ratifying his continuation in the role has at least two dissenters.

The obvious inference is that someone powerful isn't very happy with Mr McKechnie who, seemingly, has been too good at his job exposing corruption.

Alternatively reading between the lines, the Committee hinting they know more than they are able to say might suggest some issue with Mr McKechnie's working style - bullying or harassment? or some other personal issue. Either way the failure of the Committee to explain further casts shadows on both themselves and Mr McKechnie.

A very strange series of events.

 

[Caesar]

All I really know is that McKechnie got a lot of backbenchers off-side by probing electoral allowances. A Liberal MP copped most of the blame for blocking his appointment, but when the Premier and Opposition Leader tried to cooperate and ram his reappointment through by changing the legislation both parties revolted.

It’s a really sad state of affairs. The CCC was a mess before McKechnie showed up, and in his time there he's shown up the WA public sector to be incredibly corrupt. His departure has thrown several crucial investigations into disarray.

It's probably not surprising that there are various people who see getting him out as a way to return to the old days when nobody asked too many questions.

 

[masai]

John Quigley has used parliamentary privilege to raise the query that there might be “something of a MINOR nature” on the laptop, that is in dispute.

From speaking to some lawyers around town ( yes I washed my hands and checked my wallet ), they all reckon that McKechnie did a darn good job by asking a lot of bodies to be accountable.