Robert Redlich renews attack on ‘corrupt’ Andrews government

Former IBAC boss Robert Redlich says misconduct doesn’t have to be criminal to be corrupt.

Former IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich. Picture: AAP

Former IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich has accused the Victorian government of “corruption” and Labor MPs of “filibustering” to avoid scrutiny.

The retired Supreme Court judge’s comments come after he used a hearing of the Victorian parliamentary integrity and oversight committee on Monday to call for an overhaul of the legislation underpinning IBAC, and excoriated the committee as “politically motivated” and lacking integrity.

Labor MPs, who make up half the committee, used their allotted question time on Monday to quiz Mr Redlich about information security practices, bullying allegations, termination benefits paid to staff and witness welfare.

Asked whether he believed the MPs were seeking to discredit him, Mr Redlich told the ABC on Tuesday: “I rather thought that was a filibuster, that they were trying to waste time so that we couldn’t talk about the integrity issues.

“Labor members of the committee fully utilised that time (for questions) and wasted it.

“Before I attended, the four Labor members had voted against there being a public hearing, and it was only through the casting vote of the chair that this public hearing proceeded.

Daniel Andrews responds to the findings of Operation Sandon. Picture: Jason Edwards

“What’s happened here is that when it came to the crunch, politics again overrode exploring ­integrity issues. The four Labor members were all primed to waste time and ask questions, which they knew I would not be in a position to answer.”

Mr Redlich called for reform to enable IBAC to investigate and make findings about misconduct which may not be illegal, citing the example of the watchdog’s Operation Daintree investigation into the government’s granting of a contract to the Health Workers Union ahead of the 2018 state election.

“Operation Daintree is the most glaring example … No crime was committed, but we found ­serious misconduct at every level of executive government, which led to the granting of a contract which should never have been made,” he said. “That’s corruption.”