• May 30, 2012 12:00AM
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| NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell (photo AAP: Tracey Nearmy) |
The NSW Opposition in the upper house raised an urgency motion on Tuesday to debate whether the Police Integrity Commission's (PIC) report into its Strikeforce Emblems investigation should be made public.
However, government MPs sided with crossbench MPs from the Shooters Party and Christian Democrats to block any call for papers.
Strikeforce Emblems was established to investigate the propriety of an internal police operation in 2000, which put 114 people including more than 100 officers under surveillance.
Some of those police are now in the top ranks of the force, including deputy commissioner Nick Kaldas, and police and their union have called for the 2005 PIC report to be released to protect the reputation of honest officers.
Mr O'Farrell on Friday wrote to new PIC Inspector David Levine to ask if the PIC's Emblems report could be made public, "balancing public interest against procedural fairness and the importance of not prejudicing any potential legal action or investigation''.
Police Minister Mike Gallacher has also asked the former Supreme Court Justice for advice on whether recommendations of the report could be released.
Speaking in question time on Tuesday, Mr O'Farrell dismissed suggestions that blocking the upper house call for papers was inconsistent with his letter to Mr Levine.
"I'd asked the Inspector General of the Police Integrity Commission, Justice Levine, a properly qualified judicial officer ... not previously connected or having anything to do with this report, to provide me with advice as to whether or not the report could be released,'' Mr O'Farrell told parliament.
"That's the advice I've asked an independent officer to provide. It is not a decision I propose be put to the upper house.''
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