Changes Needed to Prevent Delays to Corruption Investigations: Victorian Watchdog Commissioner

IBAC Commissioner Robert Redlich speaks during the Operation Watts public hearing in Melbourne, Australia, on Oct. 11, 2021. James Ross - Pool/Getty Images

The commissioner of Victoria’s integrity agency has called for legislative reforms to prevent court actions from hindering the publication of corruption investigation reports.

Robert Redlich, the head of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), has asked the Victorian Labor government and the Opposition to amend current laws to make it harder for people to challenge the agency’s draft report findings in court.

In a leaked letter, Redlich said that amendments to the IBAC Act would help complete investigations in a more timely manner.

“While these challenges can be for a variety of different reasons, the speed with which the litigation is determined is largely under the control of the court and dependent upon the priority which individual judges are prepared to give to the particular litigation,” Redlich wrote, as reported by The Age.

The commissioner has proposed to improve the act by restricting legal challenges on natural justice grounds–a process that provides those subject to adverse findings an opportunity to respond before a report is released.

In May, the anti-corruption watchdog said that its draft report for Operation Sandon had moved to the natural justice phase.

This came following media reports that Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews was questioned twice in private in relation to the ongoing corruption investigation.

Operation Sandon is a long-running inquiry into allegations of favourable planning and property development decisions, which involved property developer John Woodman, Casey councillors and Labor MPs. And public hearings on the issue concluded nearly 18 months ago.

The premier has not expressed his government’s stance over amending the IBAC Act nor explained how the letter was publicised.

“I'll leave it to IBAC to investigate how that correspondence made it into the public realm,” Andrews told reporters.

“They’ve expressed some regret about that. That’s really a matter for them.”

Meanwhile, Shadow Treasurer David Davis said there needed to be an overhaul in Victoria’s integrity system to prevent legal action from stalling investigations.

“Those who are subject to negative findings by the IBAC obviously have a right to have their say ... but equally, IBAC should not be stymied or stalled in tabling important reports in parliament,” he said.