Wednesday, 23 September 2026

 Daniela DE MARTINO (Monbulk) (10:45): I speak today on the report of the Parliamentary Ethics Committee inquiry into the review of the members code of conduct. A newly established joint standing committee, this was our first statutory review of the code and our first inquiry report.

I would like to start off by acknowledging the contributions of everyone who assisted our committee in undertaking this review. I thank the Parliamentary Integrity Adviser Professor Charles Sampford and the Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission for their valuable advice and cooperation throughout the inquiry.

I give my sincere thanks to the chair of the committee, the member for Rowville, for his leadership, his collegiate approach to this important work, his efficient and professional way in which he chaired our committee meetings and his ever-dry humour. I have learned much from our meetings together, as I have from the chair of the other committee I sit on, the member for Wendouree. Both have exemplified wonderful qualities as chairs of two greatly constructive committees.

I have to say, the beauty of the committees – Deputy Speaker, as you would be well aware, and as all my colleagues in this place would be well aware – is they give us all the chance to get to know our colleagues from other sides of the chamber in a better way, and appreciate our commonalities, even in times when we may differ. They are particularly constructive, and I have found my time undertaking committee work incredibly valuable. To that point, I thank my fellow committee members: the member for Glen Waverley, sitting beside me; and from the other place, Mr Tom McIntosh, Mrs Gaelle Broad and Mr Richard Welch, for their constructive contributions and collaborative approach throughout the inquiry. As deputy chair, I have valued the opportunity to work alongside all these colleagues from across the Parliament. I have to say our work was conducted in a genuinely bipartisan manner, so thank you to them all.

I would particularly like to place on the record our committee’s appreciation for the outstanding work of the secretariat. In particular I thank Paul Groenewegen, Keir Delaney and Larissa Volpe for their professionalism, advice and support throughout the review process. Their efforts were instrumental in the preparation of this report. With indulgence, I would like to extend my thanks to all across the Parliament who undertake this work. The professionalism, the expertise, the incredible patience exemplified by the staff of this place is unparalleled. I hope they know that all of us here are on a unity ticket when it comes to our appreciation for the work they do every day to keep this place running as it should, even though members of Parliament sometimes do their level best to frustrate it. Thank you to them, and thank you in particular to Bridget and Vaughn as well.

To the members code of conduct – the committee believes that it continues to play an important role in guiding the conduct of members and strengthening Parliament’s integrity framework. While no changes to the code are recommended at this time, the report highlights the importance of ongoing education, awareness and continuous improvement. The code of conduct is an important part of Victoria’s parliamentary integrity framework. It provides guidance to all members of Parliament on how we should conduct ourselves in carrying out our public duties. The code is underpinned by a statement of values that includes serving the public interest, upholding democracy, integrity, accountability, respect, diligence and leadership. Importantly, recent amendments to the legislation strengthened the code by introducing explicit provisions relating to appropriate workplace behaviour and upholding parliamentary standards and integrity. These additions reflect the community’s expectation that members of Parliament not only act ethically but also help foster respectful and safe workplaces.

In speaking of integrity in this place, I must make special mention of the incredible member for Brunswick who we sadly lost last week and condoled in this place only yesterday, himself a champion for integrity in this place and amongst us all. My sincerest condolences to his partner Ange and their children, his Greens colleagues in this place, his staff, his wider family and all who knew and loved him. I note the flowers that sit there in his chair today.

The committee approached this review with a simple question: is the code working as intended? To help answer that, we consulted with a range of stakeholders, including integrity bodies, parliamentary officers and members of Parliament, receiving submissions from members of Parliament, the integrity adviser and the Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission.

A significant focus of our work was on education and engagement. Before undertaking a formal review, we believed it was important that members had a practical understanding of the code, so education sessions were delivered across the Parliament, and the feedback was quite valuable. While many members were somewhat familiar with the code, they identified a need for clearer and more accessible guidance.

We come to three recommendations that we have made: first, that no changes be made to the code at this time; second, that ongoing annual discussions occur between the committee, the Parliamentary Integrity Adviser and the Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission to consider de-identified issues arising; and third, that new members are introduced to the code as part of their induction programs. It is a worthwhile read and it is a quick one, and I commend it to the house.