Commissioner defends CMC

A PARLIAMENTARY inquiry into the bungled release of sensitive Fitzgerald Inquiry documents has been likened to using an "anvil to crack a nut'.

CMC commissioner Judith Bell defended the commission during an extra public hearing of the Parliamentary Crime and Misconduct Committee inquiry yesterday.

She told the inquiry she believed it had been "heavy handed" with CMC staff.

"Having watched a great deal of the hearings I felt it was an anvil to crack a nut," she told the inquiry.

"I felt disturbed by the fact that we had been remiss but I also felt disturbed by what I felt was very heavy handed treatment of some of our staff."

Mrs Bell, who was one of four commissioners to front the inquiry yesterday, said she did not believe the wrongful release had come about due to any criminal or malicious behavior but she told the inquiry the bungle had exposed shortcomings within the CMC that needed to be addressed.

When questioned by PCMC chair Liz Cunningham on her criticism of the inquiry, Mrs Bell said she believed the matter would have been better handled by an internal review reporting to the CMC commissioners.

She said the PCMC should have been kept in the loop.

The PCMC is due to finish its report into the bungle by April 5.

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Springborg defends 'gag' orders

HEALTH Minister Lawrence Springborg has defended gag orders on not-for-profit groups that receive state funding and has told the Federal Government to butt out.

The Federal Government will introduce a new bill which would ban gag clauses from all commonwealth contracts with the not-for-profit sector.

It plans to write to state and territory leaders asking them to match the federal commitment.

Federal Finance Finance Minister Penny Wong has called the Newman Government's gag orders "nothing short of draconian".

"First, the Newman government cuts funding to those without a voice and then silences those who speak on their behalf," she said.

But Mr Springborg said not-for-profit groups should not be wasting their time and money on political advocacy.

He said the Federal Government should stop trying to interfere.

"We will decide how public money is spent in Queensland," he said on Monday.

"In Queensland we believe that if we give money in Queensland Health to an organisation, then that organisation should be doing what we fund them for.

"Not running around with political advocacy."

Earlier The Courier-Mail reported that Julia Gillard will reveal laws will be introduced this month that will outlaw the Commonwealth from linking gag-orders to financial support.

Ms Gillard will write to all premiers and chief ministers to demand they follow her lead but her main target is the Newman Government, which has been accused of trying to silence not-for-profit groups.

Described as "hush money", critics said contracts or grants had included a clause that prohibited them advocating for state or federal legislative change if more than half their funding came from the State Government.

Health Minister Lawrence Springborg last year defended the clauses, saying taxpayers' money should be used for services, not political advocacy.

Finance Minister Penny Wong will tell an UnitingCare Not-For-Profit Reform Forum in Brisbane today that the Not for Profit Sector Freedom to Advocate Bill would enable the sector to have a strong voice.

"We know that not-for-profit sector needs to be independent and it needs to be able to advocate for change," she will say.

"The suggestion that governments - any government - can respond to community issues without the independent advocacy of the sector closest to the community is nothing short of arrogant.

"Queenslanders know well the damage of gag-clauses. The actions of the Newman Government to silence the not-for-profit are nothing short of draconian.

"We are calling on all state premiers and territory chief ministers to legislate for the independence of the not-for-profit sector. Depriving not-for-profit entities of their voice will weaken our communities and put more people at risk.

"To make it a condition of contract that an organisation cannot advocate for the community goes against the very nature of our democracy."

In 2008, the former Rudd government removed gag clauses from Commonwealth contracts."

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