Wednesday, 16 August 2023

Integrity and Oversight Committee

The Independent Performance Audits of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Inspectorate

Roma BRITNELL (South-West Coast) (10:11): I rise to speak on the committee report done by the Integrity and Oversight Committee The Independent Performance Audits of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Inspectorate. In doing so I will mainly comment on the minority report that was written by some committee members. This is a committee that has now been quite clearly demonstrated to be fraught with controversy, so I am not surprised that my colleagues Brad Rowswell MP, deputy chair of the committee, and the Honourable Kim Wells MP decided to write a minority report.

The audit was done because when the Liberals set up IBAC, they clearly set it up because integrity and transparency – what all Victorians would expect from their leaders – should be things that we value. When you set up a body like IBAC, you would expect it to be reviewed, so the audit was to do exactly that. It was determined when IBAC was set up by the Liberals that it would be reviewed every four years. The auditors were appointed. The auditors seemed to get some real challenges put in front of them. It took a long time for them to be able to work out what they were able to access and what they were not, and the level of secrecy was something that they found difficult to navigate.

What actually occurred more, though, was that the now former IBAC Commissioner was obviously very concerned. As was mentioned in the minority report that was written as a result of this audit, there was a recommendation that the incoming Integrity and Oversight Committee of the 60th Parliament review, with the intention of rewriting, the legislation concerning the audit, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Act 2011. That was the finding of the minority report. Why was that? Well, we saw over the time of the last Parliament, four years, five chairs of this committee – five Labor chairs. The former IBAC Commissioner highlighted after these reports came out that some changes should be made, which is in line with the minority report written by members of this committee. They were to make sure that there could not be a majority of Labor MPs on the committee, because the whole point of the oversight committee is to scrutinise government, and the government should not be in control of a committee that investigates government. It makes complete sense. But that was ignored.

We saw the former IBAC Commissioner Sir Robert Redlich, who was appointed by Labor, respected enough by Labor to be appointed, write to the new Parliament in December last year, and he addressed his letter to the Premier.

Members interjecting.

Roma BRITNELL: It was intended for the Premier. I correct myself: it was intended for the Premier and it was addressed to the Speaker, but unfortunately the Premier felt it was not worth his while to take much notice of it. That is what I believe led to Sir Robert Redlich going on radio and disclosing that the reason we needed to have this oversight committee be fairer and not have a majority of government members in control was that the chair had tried to direct the auditors to dig up dirt on IBAC.

Now, clearly IBAC had a lot of work in front of them, because we have been seeing more and more evidence of this government’s secrecy and corrupt behaviours, and this is being identified as we speak with the IBAC reports, the Ombudsman’s comments and all the sorts of professionals who are concerned in our community around the government’s lack of integrity – most concerning but not surprising given what we are seeing with the failure of this government. It is starting to crumble and the arrogance is starting to take its toll. So it is very pleasing to see in the upper house this week the introduction by the Liberals of legislation, as recommended by Sir Robert Redlich, so that we get some changes and transparency, fairness and integrity are all reintroduced. But let us see if the Labor MPs actually support changes to the legislation, as has been recommended, or whether they ignore this legislation, which is what I strongly suspect will happen. I know the people of Victoria expect integrity.