Certainly it's an important role. Whether you can have that role fit comfortably in an auditor's role is a question that I'm sure some of you will be debating. There are pros and cons to the various different models, but the typical auditor role includes extensive powers to obtain information and access to government officials all the way up to cabinet confidences and so on. Typically a policy advisory body does not have that ability. To the extent that you are envisaging a commissioner who does all things, I'm not aware of any model that has that extensive a suite of powers including all of the typical auditor's powers plus essentially the same powers that a policy-making or policy advisory body would have.
On March 8th, 2021. See this statement in context.