Watchdog’s double standards raise a singular question

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture NCA NewsWire / Aaron Francis

For a former suburban mayor, the process proved the punishment. For a premier, the process was a shield.

Former Casey mayor Amanda Stapledon, friends and former colleagues say, never recovered from her two-day public examination in IBAC’s Operation Sandon.

They say the March 2020 hearings left her humiliated, and exacerbating this were confidential­ity orders that left her isolated.

They say the 58-year-old mother to a seriously disabled adult son became paranoid that her phone was bugged and terrified she would be jailed.

After the hearing, almost two years of silence from IBAC fuelled her growing anxiety.

The record shows that it wasn’t until January 2022 that IBAC sent its draft report to Stapledon. Three days later, she took her life.

Amanda Stapledon. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Ultimately, the key allegations against Stapledon were fairly minor. An undisclosed political donation was the most damaging allegation put to her. Even if she was guilty, as alleged, and even if she was charged and convicted, would she have gone to jail? ­Unlikely.

Determining whether witnesses are to be examined in public or privately can be complex for IBAC as it negotiates its legislative framework while juggling the principles of open justice and the rights of individuals.

In Stapledon’s case, IBAC opted to grill her in public. When it came to Daniel Andrews, IBAC opted to grill him in private. Why?

The only reason Victorians know the Premier was even examined as part of Operation Sandon is because The Australian revealed this on May 6. (It’s worth noting the Premier has been examined privately by IBAC in at least two other inquiries.)

During his Operation Sandon examination, the Premier was asked whether he had been given property developer John Woodman’s mobile phone number. He changed his position during his testimony on this, at first agreeing he may have been given the ­mobile number but then saying it was unlikely that happened.

IBAC’s Operation Sandon draft report raises concerns about what it describes as the ‘‘privileged access’’ Woodman gained with the Premier and other Labor ministers. It goes on to raise concerns about the developer’s strategy of developing relationships with senior Labor MPs while seeking to create a sense of obligation through significant donations and fundraising.

If IBAC is going to publicly examine a former suburban mayor over her relationship with a property developer, why isn’t the Premier of Victoria examined in public over his relationship with the same property developer?

IBAC has never answered this question.

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, call: Lifeline: 13 11 14 or lifeline.org.au; or Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or beyondblue.org.au