ICAC hearings must be public: Latham

Abolishing public corruption inquiries in NSW would erode people's confidence in the Independent Commission Against Corruption and open the door to abuses of power, the head of ICAC says.

ICAC commissioner Megan Latham defended the watchdog's record of corruption-busting and took aim at critics, including ICAC Inspector David Levine, during her appearance before a NSW parliamentary committee on Friday.

The committee is reviewing Mr Levine's report on ICAC's powers, including his recommendation for private hearings in order to avoid the trashing of reputations.

Ms Latham said if there was closed-door hearings there would be no scope for the public to determine whether ICAC was conducting proceedings fairly.

"Not only do we have a statutory function to expose corruption - and the public inquiry performs that process quite clearly - but public hearings are a bulwark against a body like the ICAC abusing its powers," she told the committee.

She dismissed calls for ICAC to have three commissioners and said it would compromise the watchdog's independence and add unnecessary cost and complexity.

"I don't actually see the advantage in having three commissioners, because frankly if they were all full time you'd have a couple of people sitting around twiddling their thumbs," she said.

The commissioner became involved in a bitter public feud with Mr Levine after he authored a highly critical report on ICAC's failed investigation into Crown prosecutor Margaret Cunneen.

Asked about the necessity for a respectful working relationship with the inspector, Ms Latham agreed it was vital but said "sometimes you can't do anything about personality conflicts".

She expressed support for the idea of not hiring former Supreme Court judges such as Mr Levine as inspectors.

"I think that there is scope for a different kind of relationship between the inspector and the commissioner, where you haven't got someone in the role of the inspector who potentially thinks they could be doing a better job."

Ms Latham's evidence ended two days of public hearings, with the committee to provide its own report and recommendations at a later date.