The federal government is refusing to back down from its criticism of the New South Wales anti-corruption watchdog, despite being labelled "buffoons" by its outgoing commissioner.
While not expressly naming Prime Minister Scott Morrison, NSW ICAC Commissioner Stephen Rushton said people characterising his agency as a "kangaroo court" were "buffoons".
"It is deeply offensive to the hard-working staff of the commission, it undermines the institution," Mr Rushton told a state parliamentary inquiry on Monday.
Mr Morrison has repeatedly cited the case of former New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian in defending his government's failure to introduce and debate legislation for a Commonwealth Integrity Commission.
He has argued Ms Berejiklian was "done over" by the state watchdog, also known as an ICAC, where details of her relationship with then-MP Daryl Maguire were aired in public hearings.
"I've seen the lives destroyed by a commission such as that which becomes a kangaroo court and goes around and seems to operate through politics and shaming people," Mr Morrison told reporters on the campaign trail last month.
Mr Rushton took the opportunity yesterday to hit back.
"There are vast differences between the functions of the commission and a court," he said.
"To make an uninformed comment that this commission is a kangaroo court has a real capacity to undermine the commission's work, and just as importantly, public confidence in public administration."
NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet today said Mr Morrison's comments went too far.
"There will always be different views in relation to the judiciary or the ICAC or integrity agencies and people are entitled to have their opinions," he said.
"But when we do have opinions and when we do raise concerns we need to do so in a way that doesn't undermine confidence in our integrity agencies."
Mr Perrottet said he disagreed with the Prime Minister's characterisation of the ICAC as a Kangaroo Court.
"The ICAC plays an important role in upholding integrity and confidence in politicians and in public servants here in our state."
Coalition campaign spokesman Simon Birmingham said the government's opinion has not shifted, continuing to criticise models such as the NSW ICAC.
"They're not about integrity, they seem to be about grabbing headlines," he told the ABC.
"We've proposed a model that absolutely ensures you have an effective integrity commission, has effective powers, but also ensures that it doesn't destroy reputations first and make findings later."
Labor and integrity experts have described the proposed Commonwealth Integrity Commission (CIC) as being overly secretive and lacking teeth, urging the Coalition to tweak its policy to allow the commission to hold public hearings and kickstart its own investigations.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese said the character assessment from Mr Rushton showed Mr Morrison had crossed the line.
"You've had an ICAC Commissioner come out and slam the Prime Minister for his outrageous comments about a kangaroo court," he said.
"They are quite extraordinary comments that he made, and he's been rebuked."
Mr Morrison has been accused of breaking an election promise by failing to establish a CIC, despite taking the policy to the last election.
He has refused to introduce the legislation to Parliament, saying he would only do so with the express support of federal Labor.
That is despite a number of pieces of legislation being debated in the House of Representatives and the Senate not having bipartisan backing prior to their introduction.
