The Canberra Liberals would adopt an independent funding model for the ACT's corruption watchdog with the party promising funding decisions would be separate to the executive.
Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee has also promised to increase funding for to the ACT Integrity Commission by 15 per cent with $5.6 million to be delivered over the term.
The commission has faced a number of staffing and resourcing challenges in the nearly five years since it was established.
Ms Lee said the funding model for the commission needed greater independence, saying the current model was determined by a submission to the treasurer via the speaker. She said this meant the executive was ultimately responsible for funding decisions.
"In the first year, a Canberra Liberals government will undertake a thorough consultation process to determine options for the funding model to ensure that the model is independent of the executive," she said.
"The integrity commissioner and the auditor-general are deemed officers of the Assembly at the current time and the reality is despite the Speaker representing the Assembly, this model does not foster public confidence about the way the integrity commissioner and auditor-general are funded."
The commission has previously complained about being "significantly under-resourced" and has faced staffing issues including significant staff turnover.
Integrity commissioner Michael Adams KC told estimates earlier this year an investigation into the impact of lobbying in the ACT was on his "wish list" but his agency did not have the resources required to launch the probe.
The commission has also taken a long time to complete investigations, including an investigation into the procurement for an expansion of Campbell Primary School. The investigation began in early-2021 and the actions of the former chief of staff for Deputy Chief Minister Yvette Berry are a key part of the inquiry.
An investigation into more than $8.5 million in contracts awarded to a "complexity and systems thinker" by the Canberra Institute of Technology is still ongoing. But it took two years for the commission to release its initial findings of that former chief executive Leanne Cover had engaged in "serious corrupt conduct".
The former chief executive was stood down on full pay for two years, receiving an annual salary of about $370,000, during the commission's investigation. She resigned the day before the report was due to be released.
Ms Lee said a funding boost of $5.6 million over the term would assist the commissioner in its investigations.
"It is clear the current ACT Labor-Greens government has not provided adequate resources to the Integrity Commission and we are concerned that it may have resulted in drawn-out inquiries including into the CIT contracts and Campbell Primary School modernisation project procurement which is still ongoing," she said.
"With a number of ministers having fronted public hearings in Integrity Commission investigations this term, it is no surprise the same government has not adequately resourced the commission."
The watchdog has been hamstrung by a rule preventing former ACT public servants from being employed in the five years after leaving the service but this was recently changed following a review of the Integrity Commission Act.
Chief Minister Andrew Barr has previously said if re-elected he would pursues changes to procedural fairness timeframes to make investigations quicker.
