New ICAC inspector appointed
A prominent Adelaide barrister has been appointed to oversee complaints about South Australia’s integrity bodies.
The state government announced on Thursday afternoon the appointment of Bar Chambers barrister Sam Abbott KC to the role of Inspector of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).
The role, first held by New South Wales barrister Phillip Strickland KC, oversees complaints about South Australia’s integrity agencies, namely the ICAC, the Office of Public Integrity and the Ombudsman.
Abbott joined the bar roll in 2004, was appointed senior counsel in 2014 and rose to queen’s counsel in 2019. His career has spanned criminal, civil, commercial, military and appellate law, according to the state government.
Attorney-General Kyam Maher said Abbott was a “highly respected, eminently qualified member of the legal profession in South Australia”.
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“His experience in appellate law and criminal law will no doubt hold him in good stead as he takes on this important oversight role,” he said in a statement.
“I have every confidence he will take on this independent role with fairness, impartiality and diligence.”
The Office of the Inspector was set up after state parliament moved in September 2021 to rein in ICAC’s powers.
Abbott, who has been appointed to a three-year term, replaces acting inspector Stephen Plummer.
