Wednesday, 22 June 2022

Government integrity

Mr HAYES (Southern Metropolitan) (09:49): We have been warned by the IBAC boss about grey corruption being on the rise. If that is the case, Victoria’s political integrity environment is similar to a gloomy June sky in Melbourne. Mr Robert Redlich, as reported in the Age on 20 June, said:

… there’s an environment therefore which is more receptive to the risk of ‘soft’ or ‘grey’ corruption …

The article says:

In Victoria, Redlich fears good governance is being compromised by the centralisation of power in an allegedly politicised public service, which is the subject of an investigation by the Ombudsman.

Aptly named after one of Game of Thrones’ most chilling scenes, the Victorian Department of Justice and Community Safety’s Red Wedding is a great example. With just 2 hours and a few pen strokes, this political infiltration of the public service stripped away hundreds of years of experience and expertise. Staff with decades of experience were sacked by voicemail and replaced by candidates allegedly enthusiastic to toe the party line. We know that the state’s political donation rules are a smokescreen, although widely believed in. They say you cannot donate more than $4000 and it must be declared, but you can allegedly pay $10 000 to have dinner with a minister, none of it apparently declared. What is more, that would breach the cap—no questions asked, no need to declare, no enforcement, no prosecutions under the new provisions yet. A fresh coat of paint does not hide the rot.