Labor chair blocks Ombudsman Deborah Glass from answering questions on Red Shirts rort

The Labor party has been accused of an “outrageous cover-up” after blocking a key investigator from answering questions about the infamous Red Shirts rort.

Harriet Shing stopped a line of questioning about the Red Shirts affair when Ombudsman Deborah Glass appeared before the Integrity and Oversight Committee. Picture Andrew Tauber

The Labor chair of a parliamentary inquiry probing Victoria’s anti-corruption agencies has been accused of running a protection racket for the state government after blocking questioning over the infamous Red Shirts election rort.

Harriet Shing on Monday stopped a line of questioning about the Red Shirts affair when Ombudsman Deborah Glass appeared before the parliament’s Integrity and Oversight Committee’s inquiry into the treatment of witnesses by anti-corruption agencies.

Despite Ms Glass’s report being finalised and released in 2018, Ms Shing repeatedly stopped opposition MPs from asking her about the investigation because it was “the subject of an unresolved investigation by another integrity agency.”

Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House, David Davis, accused the government of a coverup.

“Labor refused to cooperate with the Ombudsman or the police on their theft of taxpayers’ money, fighting all the way to the High Court,” he said.

“Now Labor’s committee chair has continued to block scrutiny in an outrageous cover up. Who do these people think they are?

“Of course taxpayers’ have a right to know the circumstances in which theft of public money occurred.

“IBAC is further investigating, through Operation Watts, unacceptable behaviour in the Labor Party.

“All of these matters, all of this corruption, deserves the disinfectant of daylight not the darkness of further cover up.”

It comes after Ms Shing last week repeatedly stopped IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich from discussing “individual matters”.

Harriet Shing with Labor Party leader Daniel Andrews Picture: Jason Edwards Morwell Central P.S.

At one point, when questions were raised about why Daniel Andrews had been grilled in private hearings, Ms Shing asked for the live feed of the hearing to be cut.

The IOC’s livestream was offline for several minutes while committee members underwent “private discussions”

Once back online, Ms Shing reminded committee members to not mention “individual matters”.

Ms Shing also later stopped the inquiry from hearing about the ongoing public examination of factional branch stacking within the ALP.

Mr Redlcih has since demanded to be allowed to reappear before the committee.

He said repeated requests to do so had been dismissed, but rejected claims there was any legal basis to do so.

“With respect to the continued ruling of the Chair that questions cannot be asked about that matter as it arises within a current investigation, there is nothing in the statute governing the Committee’s inquiry that precludes members of the committee asking and IBAC answering questions unless the disclosure of information concerning the witness’s welfare would prejudice any IBAC investigation.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass released a report into the Red Shirts rort. Picture: Alex Coppel.

“Whether it would in fact do so, must be a matter for IBAC, not the Chair of the committee.”

In a lengthy statement read ahead of the hearing on Monday, Ms Shing rejected Mr Redlich’s claim.

“It is critical that the committee...not discuss individual matters that are before integrity agencies or currently subject to similar legal processes,” she said.

“Integrity agencies, like anyone else, can respond to any public evidence received by the committee, which will be published on the Committee’s website in due course.

“It would be entirely inappropriate if the committee were to become, or seen to become, a platform for any person involved in an investigation to re-litigate any aspect of that investigation.

“This committee has an important role in oversight, but I remind members, witnesses and the media, that we have no role in litigating specific matters.”