Wednesday, 22 March 2023

Integrity and Oversight Committee

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

Martin CAMERON (Morwell) (10:19): I rise also to talk on the Integrity and Oversight Committee and on TheIndependent Performance Audits of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission and the Victorian Inspectorate. It is a very complex report. I know the member for South-West Coast stated that there are 396 pages to go through. One point I did notice when reading was from the chair’s foreword to the report – and I would like to thank the committee for all their work on this report. One little piece of it states:

As such, the Committee expresses disappointment that IBAC and the …

Victorian Inspectorate

did not provide the information required in order for the independent auditor to conduct the performance audits to the fullest extent possible.

You would wonder why that would be. As a new member who has come into Parliament you would think that a committee that is overseeing what the IBAC is doing would be able to ask the questions and be provided with answers. So that was a little bit disappointing.

In preparation for the next independent performance audits of IBAC and the VI, the Committee endorses the independent auditor’s recommendation that the auditor’s information‑gathering powers provided under legislation are clarified …

I think we need that. They need to be able to ask questions, as I said, and they need to be able to get answers. Also, there is a minority report at the back of the report. I do thank the member for Sandringham and the member for Rowville, who actually did the report. In their minority report, section 4, ‘Directing the auditor’, it says:

On Thursday 6 October 2022, the Chair of the Subcommittee issued an email to the auditor instructing them to act in a particular way …

…

This email from the Chair of the Subcommittee demonstrates the level of direct engagement and assistance – one may even assert ‘interference’ – in order to arrive at the final reports. It also further demonstrates Callida’s inability to undertake the performance audit themselves.

So there are a few questions here that not only those on our side of Parliament ask but also people out in the community, because one of the first things that I get asked when I am in my electorate is about corruption in the government: what is being done, why aren’t the reports tabled and why does it take so long? It is very disappointing in that respect. For me, as a new person coming into the Parliament, from the start it was really about the checks and balances that I personally had to do. I had to try and list all of my interests before I came into the Parliament so they could be tabled and reported on. It was very disappointing that when I came in and sat down the first week of Parliament was taken up by ministers on the other side being asked questions and not giving answers about their interests and holdings that they are making decisions on in their ministerial positions.

It was very easy for me because it was black and white. I had to declare all these interests. So for someone to be able to say that they do not know what is going on and that it was an oversight makes it very difficult for me as a new member and also the general public who are watching us. You wonder why their interest in politics is waning. As I said, I thank the Integrity and Oversight Committee for their report.