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Qld govt integrity advice requests balloon

Requests by Queensland's politicians and senior public servants for advice on ethics and integrity issues hit an unprecedented high in the last financial year, the state's Integrity Commissioner says.

Ministers, members of the Legislative Assembly and ministerial staff were among those who made 394 inquiries between July 2018 and June 2019, according to the Queensland Integrity Commissioner annual report.

That's up from 216 requests the year before and a four-fold increase on the 40 or so requests made per year in the decade prior.

"In my view, it indicates a commitment to maintaining public confidence in government decision-making," Integrity Commissioner Dr Nikola Stepanov says.

The report comes weeks after Queensland treasurer Jackie Trad was cleared by the Crime and Corruption Commission over the purchase of a $695,500 fixer-upper along the route of the state's biggest infrastructure project.

Ms Trad has promised to sell the home for no profit after receiving advice from Queensland's Integrity Commissioner.

In a separate integrity saga, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk's own chief of staff, David Barbagallo, resigned after it was discovered a company he directs and part-owns was awarded a $267,000 government grant to develop a smart-phone app.

He remains under assessment by the CCC.

Ms Stepanov said most requests for advice concerned potential conflict of interest issues, such as property ownership and acceptance of gifts.

Advice on shareholdings, business interests that conflicted with advice seekers' roles in government and managing the consequences of accepting donations was also sought.

Changes to the 2009 Integrity Act, which now permits mayors and councillors to seek advice, was the primary cause of the jump in requests, she said.

The commissioner is tasked with providing confidential advice on ethics and integrity matters, regulating lobbyist activity and setting standards on ethics and integrity matters at the request of the premier.