IBAC, Victoria ombudsman collaborate to probe corruption claims

Two foremost integrity agencies will collaborate in a probe into allegations of branch-stacking and corruption in the state ALP.

Adem Somyurek outside his home in Melbourne. Picture: AAP.

Victoria’s two foremost integrity agencies, corruption watchdog IBAC and the state’s ombudsman will collaborate to investigate widespread allegations of branch-stacking and corruption within the state’s Labor Party.

The confirmation comes after a week of revelations which has seen former ALP powerbroker Adem Somyurek sacked from the Andrews government ministry and expelled from the party, and his factional allies Marlene Kairouz and Robin Scott resign from the Andrews cabinet.

In a joint statement, IBAC and the Ombudsman said they would “pool their expertise to investigate alleged serious misconduct and corruption involving Victorian public officers.”

Commissioner for IBAC, Robert Redlich and the Victorian Ombudsman, Ms Deborah Glass, jointly announced their organisations would “take a co-ordinated approach to the investigation into a range of matters concerning allegations of ‘branch stacking’, and other matters aired in recent media reports.”

“The investigation scope will include other related complaints made or referred to IBAC, and a referral to the Victorian Ombudsman from the parliament,” the statement said.

Commissioner Redlich said: “The conduct of a thorough and efficient investigation is a shared priority for IBAC and the Ombudsman in response to significant public concern about the potential misuse of scarce public resources and the subversion of appropriate parliamentary standards and processes”.

Ms Glass said: “What Victorians need from us is an independent investigation. Together with IBAC we will examine these allegations including whether, and if so to what extent, public funds were misused for party-political purposes.

“Commissioner Robert Redlich and I have agreed to share our expertise to get to the bottom of these issues for the Victorian public,” she said.

The commissioner and ombudsman said it was not possible to predict at the outset how long the investigation would take, as it will depend on what evidence emerges.

“At the end of the investigation, there will be a public report on the findings, the timing of which may be subject to legal and other requirements,” they said.

“As this is an active investigation, ongoing commentary will not be provided.”

Andrews minister brushes off union threat to national take-over

Senior Andrews government minister Jacinta Allan described threats from unions to launch a court challenge against Premier Daniel Andrews’s decision to hand administration of the Victorian ALP to the party’s national executive and administrators Steve Bracks and Jenny Macklin as “a matter for them”.

Victorian state MP Jacinta Allan. Picture: AAP

“That’s ,,, a matter for those parties who are considering this,” Ms Allan said. “The Premier earlier this week has taken the strongest section we’ve seen of a Labor leader for many decades on addressing these issues.

“He’s taken these very strong and positive actions on behalf of the, of the party to give back a strong voice for rank and file members, and I know rank and file members really appreciate the actions that the Premier has taken, and what other constituent groups, other parties choose to do is a matter for them.

“We’re focused on making sure that the work that will be done by the administrators of the party will be focused on the task that the Premier has given them.”

Ms Allan denied that some Labor factions had been left “high and dry” and unrepresented within the party as a result of the intervention.

“No. The action that’s been taken this week has been taken on behalf of rank and file members and giving them back a voice,” she said.

“They’ll be given back a stronger voice than ever before, and that’s what the Labor Party’s always been about.”

Asked to respond to disgraced for Labor powerbroker Adem Somyurek’s plans to take those who secretly recorded him abusing party colleagues and engaged in alleged branch stacking activities to court, Ms Allan said: “That’s a matter for that individual who’s no longer a member of the Labor Party.”

“The actions of that individual speak for themselves and I’m not going to comment on the actions of that individual who’s no longer a member of the parliamentary Labor Party, no longer a member of the Victorian or the Australian Labor Party, and that will remain,” Ms Allan said.

“He’s been expelled from the party for life and I think that speaks for itself.”

Victorian Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien welcomed the joint IBAC and Ombudsman’s investigation.

“It’s just a shame that Victoria’s integrity bodies seem to need a full time dedicated section to deal with the Labor Party. That’s what we’ve come to in this state,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Having gone through the Redshirts, having gone through other Labor scandals, we’ve now got IBAC and the Ombudsman again investigating Labor Party misconduct.

“These allegations are serious, they go to the heart of Daniel Andrews’ Labor Party which he’s led for 10 years, and we await with great interest these investigations.

“Daniel Andrews needs to make sure that his members all comply with these investigations.

“There can be no refusing of interviews, no refusing access to documents, no playing political games in the parliament.

“These are our chief integrity bodies. They need to be fully cooperated with so that Victorians can have confidence that their government isn’t corrupt.”