Ombudsman to probe ’politicisation’ of Victoria’s public service

Victoria’s Ombudsman will launch a probe into the state’s public service amid ongoing claims it has been purposely stacked with government cronies.

The Victorian Ombudsman will investigate claims the ­public service has been stacked with government cronies.

Ombudsman Deborah Glass says concerns about the politicisation of the public service raised by several MPs had to be taken seriously.

And she renewed calls for a new independent body to be set up to investigate allegations of wrongdoing against MPs, saying the current framework was insufficient.

A parliamentary referral asked Ms Glass to launch an investigation, as well as probes into other matters, such as Labor’s notorious “red shirts election rort”.

Speaking exclusively to the Herald Sun, Ms Glass said while the red shirts affair had been investigated, the politicisation of the public service warranted careful attention.

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Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass says claims about the politicisation of the public service raised by several MPs must be taken seriously.

That is a new element; that is something I have not yet ­investigated,” she said.

“I think it is very interesting that parliament has asked me to investigate the politicisation of the public service.”

Ms Glass declined to ­answer specific questions on the parliamentary referral. But she said Victoria’s legislative framework was insufficient for investigating MPs.

“There needs to be a proper independent investigative body that can investigate our members of parliament – one that actually investigates MPs’ conduct and standards and ­reports publicly,” she said.

“To expect the Ombudsman and IBAC (Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission) to be the mechanism for doing this is not the way to do it.”

Ms Glass said IBAC’s threshold to launch a corruption probe was “very high” while her own jurisdiction did not extend to MPs, except in extraordinary circumstances.

Former Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela broke party rules to cross the floor and vote in favour of the referral being made. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

Ms Glass said she had also been hampered in previous ­investigations because of her powers to compel MPs to ­produce cabinet-in-confidence documents were limited.

The parliamentary referral was moved by former Andrews government minister Adem Somyurek and supported by the opposition and crossbench MPs. Former Labor MP Kaushaliya Vaghela broke party rules to cross the floor and vote in favour of the referral.

“What is happening right at the moment is the destruction of the public service and government agencies by stacking ALP activists and mates,” Mr Somyurek told parliament.

“Looking at a list of departmental heads, well, not heads, but people high up, is like looking at a Labor Party branch list. It is amazing. This needs to stop. This is where you have corruption creeping into your system. This is where corruption takes hold,” he said.

Sustainable Australia MP Clifford Hayes told parliament it was vital public sector workers were employed on a merit-based system. “The public service is becoming increasingly politicised and is losing talented people,” he said.