Government Watchdog Agencies and Administrative Justice

Watchdog agencies render government accountable to the citizen and play an important role in raising standards of public administration. Yet, in what is a global phenomenon, watchdog agencies struggle to keep pace with the realities of modern government. Often lacking formal constitutional or legislative protections, watchdog agencies are susceptible to use for political purposes. This article suggests that the normative framing of ‘integrity’ may guard against this structural vulnerability. Australia is discussed as a case study of a jurisdiction where integrity may facilitate the service of watchdog agencies to administrative justice rather than to the underlying administration of the state.