Shannon Deery: Making sure Victorian MPs are honest needs to be a priority

Leaders of the state’s anti-corruption agencies have raised doubts about their ability to properly do their jobs, which begs a scary question; who can keep our MPs honest?

Is something rotten in the state of Victoria?

With our Premier involved in at least two corruption probes, it’s a fair question.

Of course a basic tenet of a liberal democracy is the presumption of innocence, so while the jury’s still out it would be foolish to jump to any conclusions.

The mere fact that someone is involved in proceedings should and does suggest nothing.

The fact that we know almost nothing about why Daniel Andrews was questioned, about what, or which other MPs have been grilled, also gives us little insight.

But so often where there is smoke, there is fire.

And the smoke clouding the Andrews government is becoming thicker and thicker.

What we do know is that Andrews testified in private as part of the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission’s Operation Sandon, which is investigating allegedly corrupt land deals.

He also gave evidence at a private hearing as part of IBAC’s Operation Watts which investigated, and found, widespread corruption within the Victorian Labor Party.

Whether Mr Andrews was questioned as part of a third investigation into his government’s dealings with the United Firefighters Union over the amalgamation of the state’s fire services remains a mystery.

Premier, Daniel Andrews is involved in at least two corruption probes. Picture: Luis Enrique Ascui

Certainly key players in the Department of Premier and Cabinet were, so it’s at least feasible that he was too.

Senior ministers are expected to have emerged as figures of interest during the investigation.

But the operation has been one of the most secretive in the history of IBAC and has involved scores of witnesses being called before secret hearings.

The thing about the three ongoing investigations is that they’re hardly the first to draw suspicion of corruption when it comes to this government.

Since it came to power in 2014, and even before that, the conduct of the Andrews government has been called into question.

Former minister Adem Somyurek, himself kicked out of the Labor Party over corruption allegations, accused his old colleagues of stealing the 2014 Victorian election with the Red Shirts rort.

The rort resulted in almost $388,000 in taxpayers’ money being spent on part-paying electorate staff to campaign for the 2014 election.

Former Labor minister Adem Somyurek. Picture: Ian Currie

Almost two dozen MPs, including several ministers, were embroiled in the scandal that misused taxpayer dollars to pay for political campaigning.

It led to a damning Ombudsman’s report and a long police investigation but no charges were subsequently laid.

“We (Labor MPs collectively) acted corruptly, and then we did not co-operate with the Ombudsman’s inquiry and the various police investigations because the Labor Party lawyers told us not to,” Somyurek said later.

“There is a reason why red shirts does not go away and that is because it was wrong, and we knew it.

“As a participant in the red shirts scheme, however, we collectively acted corruptly and stole taxpayer funds.”

There is no doubt Somyurek, booted from the party amid branch stacking claims, has an axe to grind with his former party and factional foes.

But as the leader of Labor’s right faction you can take it to the bank that he knew what was going on. And how.

Former MP Steve Herbert used his taxpayer funded driver to chauffeur his pet pooches Patch and Ted around town.

Former Speaker Telmo Languiller and his deputy Don Nardella were caught rorting allowances.

Upper House MP Khalil Eideh’s electoral office was also caught up in a branch-stacking scandal.

And former assistant treasurer Robin Scott repaid $60,000 he was unaware he’d mistakenly received in his pay packet over two years.

There is the whiff of corruption that has been with this government since day dot.

And then you look over the fence, and Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has his own problems.

Between his infamous “lobster with a mobster” dinner and a string of controversies from his time as planning minister, Guy too has raised eyebrows.

He has however vowed to increase the powers of IBAC and increase its funding if elected to government in November.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has vowed to increase the powers of IBAC. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

What is most concerning is that leaders of both the state’s anti-corruption agencies have raised doubts about their ability to properly do their jobs.

Last week, IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich said IBAC was constrained by “onerous” laws that required many hearings to be held behind closed doors.

Ombudsman Deborah Glass has criticised Victoria’s current legislative framework as being insufficient for investigating MPs.

She believes there needs to be a proper independent investigative body that can investigate our members of parliament.

One that investigates MPs’ conduct and standards and reports publicly.

She says neither the Ombudsman or IBAC were properly set up to do the job: IBAC’s threshold to launch an investigation was “very high” while her own usual jurisdiction didn’t actually extend to members of parliament, except in extraordinary circumstances.

Limitations on her powers also don’t allow her to compel MPs to produce Cabinet-in-confidence documents.

Which poses the question: who can keep our MPs honest?

Shannon Deery is Herald Sun State Politics Editor