Vic ALP repay $389k to State Parliament only hours before damning report revealed 21 MPs caught up in election rort scandal

THE Victorian Labor Party scrambled to repay $389,017 to the State Parliament hours before a damning report revealed 21 of its MPs had rorted funds to pay for election campaign staff.

THE Victorian Labor Party scrambled to repay $389,017 to parliament hours before a damning report revealed 21 of its MPs had rorted funds to pay for election campaign staff.

The money was paid back on March 20, less than 24 hours before Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass released her findings that the scheme to divert parliamentary staff to a political field campaign “crossed the line” and was “wrong”.

The payment came two years after Premier Daniel Andrews claimed the ALP had done nothing wrong and his government stalled Ms Glass’s investigation via multiple court battles.

OMBUDSMAN’S REPORT FINDS LABOR MPS CHEATED TAXPAYER FUNDS

RECENT HISTORY OF POLITICAL RORTS

Upper House President Bruce Atkinson also revealed during Public Accounts and Estimates Committee hearings that the Legislative Council’s final legal bill to back the Ombudsman in her bid to investigate the scam totalled $334,817.

Another $139,000 was spent by the Department of Premier and Cabinet, but the breakdown of the Solicitor-General’s legal costs during the Supreme and High Court cases has not been revealed.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to the media following the release of Victorian Ombudsman report. Picture: Alex Murray.

Shadow treasurer Michael O’Brien said it was a disgrace the ALP had not repaid the legal costs on top of the that had been rorted.

“This adds a few more hundred thousand dollars to the cost of Labor’s rorting of taxpayers’ money,’’ he said.

“If Daniel Andrews had any shame he would pay back this money to Victorian taxpayers.”

The panel also heard the office of Labor MP Khalil Eideh remained locked as the independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission continued to investigate allegations of a separate rort.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass. Picture: Alex Murray

It is claimed money from the office printing budget was being siphoned for branch stacking with up to $200,000 in invoices raising concern.

Mr Eideh is not at the centre of the investigation and has been issued with an alternative office and staff while the matter is being probed.

Earlier in the day, Premier Daniel Andrews was asked about whether he and United Firefighters’ Union secretary Peter Marshall had a secret deal.
The appointment by the MFB of UK firefighter Dan Stephens caused a meltdown in UFU ranks last month, leading to a bizarre radio interview by Mr Marshall in which he hinted at a secret deal with the premier.

Mr Andrews said the only commitments he had made with the union were public, and that he was not sure why the UFU thought it would be consulted about a new MFB chief officer.

Mr Andrews also said he had no plans to meet with Mr Marshall this year.

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