A NSW MP is pushing to reopen the parliamentary inquiry into the state ombudsman's police bugging investigation as the scandal continues to escalate.
The arm-wrestle between two of the state's most powerful independent watchdogs again flared on Wednesday as the Crime Commission dismissed the Ombudsman's 900-page report into the bugging probe as "fundamentally defective".
Shooters Fishers and Farmers MLC Robert Borsak says he now wants to reopen the upper house inquiry into the Ombudsman's investigation into the improper surveillance of senior police between 1999 and 2001.
"I had hoped that these issues would be put to bed once and for all, but the whole debacle just gets murkier and murkier," Mr Borsak said on Thursday.
The minor party MP, who chaired the last committee, will seek opposition and crossbench support to reopen the inquiry.
"I hope witnesses will now be more forthcoming with testimony," Mr Borsak said.
The public spat between the watchdogs comes at a tricky time for the state government as it looks to recruit a replacement for retiring Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione within weeks.
The Ombudsman's report criticised two high-profile contenders for the top job - Deputy Commissioner Catherine Burn and her former rival Nick Kaldas.
Mr Borsak on Thursday called on Premier Gladys Berejiklian to install an interim police commissioner until the "entire matter has been dealt with appropriately", a move echoed by Greens MP David Shoebridge.
Ms Berejiklian has resisted calls for the recruitment to be halted, saying it is timely for the public and an independent assessment panel working on the recruitment to be aware of the new material.
Acting NSW Ombudsman Professor John McMillan meanwhile defended his report into Operation Prospect, arguing it provided "a professional, detailed and balanced analysis of complex issues".
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