Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told to step aside amid secret anti-corruption probe
Pressure is mounting on Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to step aside after is was revealed that he had been grilled by IBAC in a second secret anti-corruption hearing.
Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has called on the Premier to step aside following revelations that he has been questioned in a secret anti-corruption hearing over his association with property developer John Woodman.
Mr Guy stepped up pressure on Daniel Andrews after The Australian revealed he was examined in a private hearing by the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.
“Victoria can’t afford to have a Premier that is mired in a corruption crisis,” Mr Guy said. “Daniel Andrews needs to do the decent thing and stand aside until IBAC hands down its report.”
Mr Guy, who was adamant he himself had never been secretly questioned by IBAC, said the Premier “can’t keep abating questions” in the wake of revelations he’s been grilled twice in secret anti-corruption hearings.
“Did the Premier ask IBAC to give his evidence in secret? Other witnesses weren’t afforded that privilege – what’s he got to hide?” Mr Guy said. “At a time we have an ambulance crisis, a triple-0 crisis. At a time we’re facing mountainous debt … we are at least owed the truth about integrity in government.”
Mr Guy said Victoria should go down the same path as NSW and reduce restrictions on public hearings, but said a federal ICAC was “very different”.
“IBAC should hold public hearings … that’s why we’ve committed in our $20m upgrade to the corruption commission … to bring back those public hearings,” Mr Guy said.
“The system is completely different federally when it comes to accountability,” he said.
The news of Mr Andrews’ appearance in a private Operation Sandon hearing comes a week after it was revealed he was secretly questioned by IBAC in Operation Watts, a probe into branch stacking and misuse of public funds in the ALP.
Mr Andrews failed to make a public appearance on Friday to respond to the calls from the Opposition or address questions about his secret appearances before two IBAC inquiries.
The Premier’s office failed to respond to questions from The Australian about whether his lawyers requested IBAC question him in private, rather than in a public hearing.
Under IBAC’s legislation, it can only examine a witness in public if it’s satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances but there is a broad “public interest” justification to call a public hearing.
IBAC did not respond to a question from The Australian about why the examination of the most senior elected official in the state was not defined as being in the public interest, saying only: “The Operation Sandon draft Special Report is currently going through a natural justice process. This process provides people involved in the investigation with a reasonable opportunity to respond to material relating to them. IBAC will not be making any further comment on the investigation.”
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for the Creative Industries Danny Pearson said he didn’t think it was “appropriate” to comment while investigations were underway.
“IBAC has a job to do and I think those matters are currently being investigated,” he said.
Minister Pearson said he could not confirm whether he had or had not been questioned by IBAC.
Since its establishment in 2013, IBAC has been challenged by the greatest restrictions in the country when it comes to its capacity to conduct public examinations.