Victorian Ombudsman highlights cases of public service misconduct

The Ombudsman’s latest report comes as Victorians await the findings of a separate investigation into the politicisation of the state’s public service.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass. Picture: David Caird

An organisation that misused public funds to pay for gifts, alcohol, fines and funeral expenses, and a manager who was paid for 40 days that they did not work were among those singled out in the Victorian Ombudsman’s latest report on public service misconduct.

Tabling the report in state parliament on Wednesday, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said many cases of public service misconduct were never publicly reported, and her latest publication sought to shed light on the issue through seven case studies.

“Its themes are, sadly, not new,” Ms Glass said.

“Conflicts of interest, favouritism and misuse of public funds continue to feature, as they have in previous Ombudsman reports, but the stories are different, and each holds valuable lessons from which others can learn

“Sometimes people do the wrong thing and go to great lengths to conceal it, such as the manager who took 40 days of paid leave without submitting a leave request (and) going so far as to feign attendance at an off-site meeting.

“In other cases, individuals simply fail to recognise their own misconduct. Conflicts of interest, in particular, remain poorly understood by many people in public roles.

“Public funds may be misused due to opportunistic behaviour exploiting an organisation’s weak financial controls or an organisational culture that ­allows poor conduct to persist unchecked.

“Misconduct, by its nature, erodes public trust in publicly funded organisations. Public trust – striving to earn and sustain it – is a vital challenge for the public sector.

“While the potential for people to engage in wrongful acts will always exist, this report equips organisations with practical strategies to minimise misconduct and preserve or rebuild public trust.”

Other case studies explored in the report included that of a cemetery trust chair who gave grave digging work to their own business, a manager who manipulated a recruitment process to employ a friend, and an executive who failed to disclose their misconduct history.

There was also an employee who spent school funds on personal expenses, and an organisation that failed to declare consultancy fees and used an “off-book” bank account.

In 2021-22, the Ombudsman received 92 allegations about conflict of interest, favouritism or discrimination in the public service, 27 allegations about the misuse of public information or materials, 20 allegations about the misuse of resources, and 55 allegations about the misuse of authority, position or power.

The Ombudsman is currently conducting a separate inquiry into the politicisation of the public service under the Andrews government.

Opposition MP David Davis said public sector misconduct was rife, with conflicts of interest, favouritism and discrimination highlighted throughout the Ombudsman’s report.