Wednesday, 3 June 2026

 Tim READ (Brunswick) (10:38): I rise to speak on the Integrity and Oversight Committee report into the adequacy of the legislative framework for IBAC. St Augustine famously prayed, ‘O Lord, make me chaste, but not yet’, and so it goes with the Allan Labor government and integrity reform. Earlier this week the government released its response to the committee’s report on how to strengthen IBAC, and the government so far is committing to absolutely nothing. While the government’s response agrees in principle with most recommendations, we know from past experience that ‘in principle’ means something between ‘yeah-nah’ and ‘maybe, but definitely not before the election’.

Today I want to focus on just the first recommendation of the report: that the government broaden the definition of ‘corrupt conduct’ in the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Act 2011 so it can investigate corrupt conduct beyond just serious indictable or common-law criminal offences. Under current laws IBAC cannot investigate serious corrupt conduct where it is not also criminal. This includes, as alleged in the Big Build scandal, things like union infiltration by outlaw motorcycle gangs and a black market where labour hire firms paid bribes for EBA endorsements. This includes the majority of matters the Premier referred to IBAC in 2024. Much of this conduct is not illegal or indictable, yet it may have cost Victorians billions.

IBAC’s lack of powers has served the Allan Labor government well, allowing the Premier to cynically hide behind her referral of Big Build allegations to IBAC – that is, until IBAC called her bluff. So I remain unconvinced that the Premier will give IBAC the powers it needs to comprehensively investigate how the missing Big Build millions were lost. But I have a question for the Leader of the Opposition, who so fiercely called out the Premier for hiding behind her sham IBAC referral and who said, ‘This government knows no bounds when it comes to covering up corruption.’ Does the opposition now commit to expanding IBAC’s powers so it can investigate the full scope of what this Premier seems so determined to conceal – because the Liberals voted against the Greens’ amendment giving IBAC these powers earlier this year. So Victorians, and the Greens, look forward to hearing from the opposition leader.