Reframing the lesson: promoting the continued relevance of the Fitzgerald Inquiry to policing in Queensland

Abstract

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is undergoing the most significant organisational change since the landmark Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct 25 years ago. Combined with broader public sector reforms initiated by a relatively new government, these changes will affect the way policing services are delivered and monitored within Queensland. As with any post-Fitzgerald structural change within the QPS, concerns about police integrity and supervision have again surfaced as part of the public discourse about the proposed reforms. This article draws on select post-Fitzgerald reviews of the QPS plain-clothes environment to highlight the ongoing potency of historical lessons for contemporary policing and, importantly, the current reform agenda.