Rorts-for-votes inquiry to report to parliament in August

A POWERFUL inquiry into the Labor rorts-for-votes scheme will report back to the Victorian parliament in August as the state election campaign is ramping up.

A POWERFUL inquiry into the Labor rorts-for-votes scheme will report back to the Victorian parliament in August as the state election campaign is ramping up.

The Legislative Council has passed a motion allowing the panel to table the review no later than August 23.

It is a month later than ­originally expected, after the decision of who should chair the committee dragged on for several weeks.

GREENS MP TO HAVE DECIDING VOTE ON OPEN RORTS-FOR-VOTES PROBE

INDEPENDENT MP TO CHAIR LONG AWAITED PROBE

MPS NOT SORRY AFTER PROBE FINDS $388k SCAMMED FROM TAXPAYERS

Independent MP James Purcell was appointed to the position late last month, following weeks of delay, paving the way for the probe into the $388,000 scam to begin.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass. Picture: Norm Oorloff

Committee chairman James Purcell.

It followed a damning report by Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass in March, which found the Victorian Labor Party had wrongly funnelled money from parliamentary budgets to pay for campaign staff ahead of the 2014 state election.

The party repaid the money but the parliament approved the probe after it was revealed key MPs in the scheme did not participate in the investigation.

The motion on Tuesday also approved Greens MP Nina Springle as the deputy chair.

The committee will now have to decide whether hearings are open to the public so Victorians can hear the details of the rort in full.

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