Wednesday, 23 February 2022

Victorian Multicultural Commission

Mr DAVIS (Southern Metropolitan—Leader of the Opposition) (18:22): (1770) Tonight I want to raise a matter for the attention of the Premier. He is the one that is responsible for the shape of government and for the administrative orders and for decisions about the overall framework in which things operate.

We have heard over the last few weeks a series of very concerning developments in multicultural affairs. We have heard at IBAC serious testimony about corrupt behaviour inside the Victorian Multicultural Commission with respect to multicultural grants. This is a scandal. Our multicultural heritage, our multicultural structures, should be beyond reproach. They are things that should have full bipartisan support and should be respected and protected at every turn. The idea that grants are being put out on a factional basis, a political basis, that is sharpened in this way by Labor is very concerning.

The testimony from Ms Vaghela and Mr Somyurek I think was very instructive in this regard, and other information that the IBAC has also heard is concerning.

A member interjected.

Mr DAVIS: No, no, this is just a set of facts that we have heard in open testimony. Of course in 2015 the newly elected Labor government made serious changes to the structure and independence of the Victorian Multicultural Commission. This opened the way for risks of politicised decision-making in grant allocation and reduced the independence of the Victorian Multicultural Commission. I think we should all be very concerned about the politicisation of the VMC and the fact that the VMC has not been able to make the inroads in certain areas that it needed, and not been able to do that in a way that is without political interference. So it was pulled back into the minister’s office rather than being an independent VMC. The decision-making on grants was taken away from the VMC. It is a scandal, actually, and now we have seen the consequences of it come to light: the rorting, the shocking allocation decisions being made by the government through its officers. This is concerning, and it needs to be dealt with.

I would say the VMC needs to have the independence that is required. It needs to have guarantees of that independence. It needs to be beyond reproach. It needs to be in the Department of Premier and Cabinet again, not at a secondary department, so that the Premier can actually take the steps with the administrative orders. My action is that I want the Premier to ensure the independence of the VMC, ensure that these corrupt practices stop and make sure that the administrative orders bring it home to the Premier’s department again.