By Cam Lucadou-Wells
The State Opposition has vowed to strengthen corruption watchdog agencies in Victoria.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy pledged, if elected to Government, to boost funding to IBAC by $10 million a year and the State Ombudsman by $2 million a year.
In a statement, the Opposition claimed the ALP Government starved IBAC and the Ombudsman of funding.
Mr Guy said he would also restore IBAC’s powers to make it easier to hold public hearings.
The announcement followed Premier Daniel Andrews’ refusal to comment on The Age’s report that he’d been interviewed behind closed doors by IBAC in a leaked draft report into ALP branch-stacking.
Mr Andrews didn’t cooperate with the Coate Inquiry into bungled Covid hotel quarantine or the Ombudsman’s investigation of $388,000 of ALP ‘red shirts rorts’, Mr Guy stated.
“One of the first things we will do is reverse the Andrews Labor Government’s flawed legislative amendments which made it harder to hold public hearings,” Mr Guy said.
“Labor has been in power for 19 of the last 23 years and in that time, the Premier has grown increasingly arrogant and out of touch – believing he is above the law and above scrutiny.”
The State Opposition’s stance is in contrast to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who labelled NSW’s version of IBAC as a “kangaroo court”.
Mr Morrison has also been under attack for failing to establish a federal anti-corruption commission that was promised at the 2019 election.
He has blamed Labor’s lack of support for the Government’s exposure draft bill. His proposed ICAC model would not hold public hearings or release its reports.
Recently, a State Parliamentary inquiry was opened into integrity agencies’ treatment of witnesses after the sudden death of former Casey mayor and Liberal candidate Amanda Stapledon in January.
Friends of Ms Stapledon blamed IBAC, which publicly examined her during its Operation Sandon investigation into Casey councillors and property developers.
She had reportedly received the investigation’s draft report soon before her death.
The final report has yet to be released.
