Push to get Daniel Andrews to read explosive Redlich letter blocked in parliament

The government has scuppered a fresh attempt to force Daniel Andrews to read an explosive letter written by former IBAC boss Robert Redlich.

The Andrews government has blocked a move by the opposition to table the Redlich letter to parliament.

The letter, written by former IBAC boss Robert Redlich, was sent to the parliament’s presiding officers in December alleging government corruption.

On Thursday, the opposition moved to table the letter — first detailed by the Herald Sun, in the upper house — to parliament.

But the government blocked the move, meaning it won’t be tabled.

Former IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich raised concerns about government interference in his work. Picture: AAP

Premier Daniel Andrews has refused to read it because it wasn’t addressed to him.

He has twice been handed the letter in Question Time by Opposition leader John Pesutto.

The latest wranglings follow Mr Andrews on Wednesday dismissing criticism that his government has avoided scrutiny by moving to stop the inquiry, labelling the proposal a “lawyers’ picnic”.

The Opposition had this week planned to pass a motion in parliament setting up a special committee and a fresh inquiry into the explosive claims.

This included claims that consultants had been asked to dig up dirt on the commission and that this may have been revenge for a series of ongoing investigations into the governments.

But the vote no longer has the numbers after the Greens and Legalise Cannabis parties withdrew their support on the condition the parliament’s powerful integrity committee be altered to be led by a non-government chair, a key recommendation of Mr Redlich.

When asked about the fact that this did not address Mr Redlich’s other concerns, the premier said there were other ways to explore these complaints.

“In fact, he may well have been obliged as a statutory officer to report any such conduct,” Mr Andrews said.

“You can do political stunts put forward by the Liberal Party or you can get an outcome.

“It’s a good outcome, where we have a situation where there’s a more balanced committee.”

Ex-Labor Minister Adem Somyurek is calling on MPs and the community to leak “dirt” about IBAC to him. Picture: Tony Gough

Mr Andrews said it was unclear if the Opposition’s provided committee would have had the legal standing to investigate what is proposed and claimed it would have been a “political lawyers’ picnic”.

“It is at best legally uncertain whether one committee in this parliament can be playing political games with the work of another committee from the last parliament,” he said.

“The only people who would win out of what’s been put forward by the Liberal Party are in fact lawyers who would have made many, many hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide advice.”

Rebel ex-Labor Minister Adem Somyurek spectacularly attacked the former boss of the corruption watchdog on Wednesday and called on MPs and the community to leak “dirt” about IBAC to him.

In a fiery speech to parliament, Mr Somyurek, who now represents the Democratic Labour Party, was last year hauled in front of IBAC as part of the Operation Watts investigation.

Mr Somyurek told the parliament that he was contemplating whether he would refer former IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich to the privileges committee on the “grounds he was trying to bully MPs”.

Mr Somyurek also urged Labor MPs and members of the parliament’s integrity and oversight committee to come forward with any “dirt” on IBAC.

“I spent four days in November 2021 speaking to IBAC. When the subject matter is IBAC, I can speak for four weeks straight on IBAC,” he said.

“We’re told that there is dirt on IBAC and the Labor Party committee members have it. If they do, can I please have it?

“Please, please give it to me. I’m prepared to use it.”

Daniel Andrews has brushed off criticism that his government has avoided scrutiny. Picture: David Crosling

The Herald Sun last week revealed that Mr Redlich had written to the parliament’s presiding officers in December last year to raise serious concerns about potential misconduct by government MPs.

Mr Somyurek claimed that Mr Redlich was a “serial leaker” to the media, and alleged he had also given that letter to the media after the presiding officers failed to make it public.

“This man is out of control. He’s puerile,” Mr Somyurek said.

“I’ve seen young Labor politicians at work. Even they wouldn’t do anything as shameless as this.

“He is absolutely drunk on power. The man is a narcissist.

“The textbook definition of corruption is the misuse of entrusted power for private gain.

“I contend that the former commissioner has been leaking to media in exchange of favourable media coverage. I contend that he has been acting corruptly.”

It comes just two weeks after Mr Andrews, when responding to questions about Mr Redlich’s concerns, said anyone who wanted to change parliamentary committees led by government chairs should “get yourself elected”.

But on Wednesday he defended the backflip because it had been driven by MPs in the parliament.

“We don’t have the numbers in the upper house,” he said.

Greens integrity spokesman Dr Tim Read and party leader Samantha Ratnam. Picture: David Crosling

“There’s a view out there that having this particular committee perhaps more balanced is a good thing. We have no problem with that.

“There’ll be other committees where the government will remain as the chair.”

Earlier, Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes on Wednesday said the government “read the tea leaves” in its about face to reform the parliament’s powerful integrity committee.

She said she believes the probe proposed would likely have led the same result.

“We have concerns about the legalities,” Ms Symes said.

“When we look at the substance of what they want to interrogate, there are already existing bodies and avenues when people make complaints about issues that they want to raise.

“It became quite apparent that many people had the view … despite the circus that perhaps would go along with it, that at the end of the day the recommendations would very likely lead to a change in composition and chair of the IOC.

“I can concede that that’s probably what would have happened.

“We read the tea leaves, could see that’s where the select committee would end up and we’re happy through conversations make changes to the IOC as early as today.”

Under the agreement, the committee would be expanded to eight members and Labor will no longer have a majority.

Jaclyn Symes has defended the decision to kill off support for an IBAC inquiry. Picture: NCA NewsWire

The government has also committed to support the election of a chair who is not one of their MPs.

But the Opposition’s leader in the upper house, Georgie Crozier, slammed the deal.

She said the government had also backflipped after appointing a government chair to the IOC weeks ago.

“This government will stop at nothing to cover up corruption in this state,” Ms Crozier said.

“This deal shows that.

“We need an inquiry into the corruption in this state.

“The people of Victoria deserve nothing less. “Robert Redlich’s letter, expose how serious it is and we need an inquiry to get to the bottom of the levels of corruption we state and just how high it goes.”

Shadow Attorney-General Michael O’Brien said the first real test for the reformed committee would be to support an inquiry into the issue the IBAC Commissioner had raised.

Earlier, the Victorian Greens confirmed the party had backed away from supporting an Opposition bid to establish a parliamentary committee.

The state opposition spent weeks negotiating support from the Greens and crossbenchers in a bid to establish the select committee.

On Monday, Greens leader Samantha Ratnam told the Herald Sun the party was “open to the establishment of a select committee”.

Late Tuesday, however, the party confirmed it had struck a deal with the government.

In a statement Victorian Greens integrity spokesman, Dr Tim Read, said under the agreement the IOC would no longer have a government majority or government chair.

Dr Read said the reform was a better way to strengthen the state’s integrity system than the select committee being proposed by the Opposition.

“We want to see Victoria better protected from corruption. For that reason, no single political party should have a majority on the Integrity and Oversight Committee; it should be truly independent,” he said.

“The Integrity and Oversight Committee is now in a powerful position to hold the current and future governments accountable with the precedent created.

“We have worked with all parties on this because we want to see an outcome that improves the state’s anti-corruption regimen.

“Our priority has been to get an outcome rather than headlines and we’re pleased to see an improvement in our anti-corruption regimen.”

The move was backed by the Legalise Cannabis party.

Leader of the Opposition in the upper house, Georgie Crozier, slammed the move.

“We need to get to the bottom of the concerns raised in the letter by Robert Redlich,” she said.

“This committee would have given the opportunity to do so.

“It is clear that the Greens and Legalise Cannabis Party don’t want to get to the bottom of the corruption going on in this state.”