Rita Panahi: Culture of corruption and cover-ups endemic in Andrews government

In any other state, the damning IBAC findings would see the premier and a number of senior figures resign in disgrace — but not in Victoria.

The culture of corruption and cover-ups within the Dan Andrews government is endemic.

Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission’s interim findings are damning and in any other state would see the premier and a number of senior figures resign in disgrace.

Here’s just some of IBAC’s conclusions thus far:

“Operation Watts found a political culture, condoned or even actively encouraged by senior figures, of ends justifying means and of bending and breaking rules,” the report found.

“The unethical cultures exposed in Operation Watts are not confined to the (moderate) faction. These unethical practices are embedded within the (Victorian Labor) branch and are systemic to all of the factions.”

“The evidence adduced enables the conclusion that these practices have been approved or condoned by party leadership for decades.”

Anyone paying attention to what’s happened in Victoria under the Andrews government would be well aware that these latest revelations fit a pattern of unscrupulous behaviour from the highest echelons of power.

Daniel Andrews was quizzed by IBAC. Picture: David Crosling

From the branch stacking saga to the Red Shirts rorts and cover-up to hotel quarantine failures and collective amnesia at the Coate Inquiry to the astonishing budget blowouts on major projects to the CFA debacle to the bullying allegations detailed by former Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela, this is a government beset by scandal and incompetence.

Any one of these calamities would’ve seen a leader fall, but not in Victoria where Labor has been in power for 19 of the past 23 years.

In that time they have systematically infiltrated, some would say corrupted, key bodies that are meant to keep the government accountable.

Labor’s appointees and operatives are in positions of power throughout the ever expanding bureaucracy.

IBAC’s findings come after it interviewed Premier Andrews who appears to have given more fulsome answers than we heard at the Coate Inquiry where he and his ministers and senior bureaucrats seemed collectively clueless about who made key decisions.

“Many MPs examined by the investigation, including Daniel Andrews, the premier and leader of the parliamentary Labor Party, acknowledged that significant cultural reform is required within the ALP,” IBAC wrote.

But why was the premier interviewed in private and not subjected to the scrutiny that comes with a public hearing.

In a repeat of the shameless spectacle before the Coate Inquiry, the premier on Thursday steadfastly refused to answer questions about IBAC report.

“What I’m not prepared to do is be running a commentary,” premier Andrews said.

“This process is not finished — when it is finished, we will be able to talk about it.”

The rot in Victoria is deep and widespread.

A fish rots at the head but whether the issues in Victoria began with the premier or elsewhere is now immaterial; as leader the buck stops with him.

The systematic misuse of taxpayers’ money has been deliberate as has the cover up after the act.

This is what needs to happen now at a minimum: the full recorded tapes of the premier’s interview with IBAC must be released.

Victorians deserve some semblance of transparency even if many of us have given up on the notion of seeing any accountability.