It was revealed in March that Redlich wrote to the lower house speaker and upper house president in his final days as commissioner to claim the Labor MPs on the former iteration of the oversight committee had instructed an independent auditor to “dig up dirt” on IBAC.

The then commissioner was concerned the government was seeking revenge for a series of ongoing investigations.

Redlich reiterated those concerns during Monday’s appearance,insisting political issues “influenced or interfered” with the way in which the committee had previously conducted itself.

The government relinquished control of the oversight committee and installed Greens MP Tim Read as chair in late March,following an 11th hour deal with the Greens and the Legalise Cannabis Party to avoid an upper house inquiry into Redlich’s letter.

But rather than focus on Redlich’s concerns,the current Labor members of the oversight committee used Monday’s session to pepper the former judge with questions about a termination payment in IBAC’s annual report and whether he had ever engaged in workplace bullying.

The Age contacted all four Labor members of the committee to give them an opportunity to explain their approach during the hearing.In response,The Agereceived a joint statement in which the MPs declared they take their parliamentary responsibilities seriously.

“Mr Redlich personally signed off on IBAC’s 2021-22 annual report,so we consider it appropriate to ask him questions about its contents,consistent with the purpose of the inquiry,” the group said.

“All questions we asked were within the written guidance provided to all members by the independent chair of the committee. None of the government members’ questions were ruled out of order by the independent chair.”

When asked if the premier’s office wrote MPs’ questions,a government spokeswoman said:“Questions asked by members of the Integrity and Oversight Committee are matters for them.”

Redlich toldThe Agethat issues ofcentralisation of power weren’t unique to Victoria,but warned these issues were often compounded the longer a government was in power.

Labor minister Harriet Shing – a former member of the oversight committee – was asked to respond to the former judge’s concerns on Tuesday morning.

“I don’t intend to run a commentary on anything which Mr Redlich has said as a private citizen,” she said.

Asked if that response was good enough for the people of Victoria,Shing replied:“Well,that’s a question that you no doubt will run commentary on,and I’ll leave that up to you.”

Opposition MPs previously accused Shing of using confidentiality laws during her time as the head of the integrity committee to prevent corruption agencies from discussing matters that could have been politically damaging for the premier.

In May 2022,Shing ordered a staffer to “cut the feed” during a committee hearing in which Redlich was asked why Andrews was interviewed by IBAC in private. That same month,the now water minister stopped Ombudsman Deborah Glass from answering questions aboutthe notorious “red shirts” rort.

Deputy Premier Jacinta Allan said her colleagues act appropriately at all times.

“There’s various mechanisms for those decisions to have the opportunity to be scrutinised,whether it’s through parliamentary forums or others,” she said.

Integrity experts such as former Supreme Court judge Stephen Charles have called on the Andrews government tobroaden Victoria’s definition of corruption to bring it in line with NSW.

The hope is that an overhaul would crack down on “grey corruption”,which is corruption that falls just shy of the legal definition.

Redlich spoke about that issue during a Tuesday morning interview with ABC presenter Virginia Trioli.

“It’s important to understand that’s where the majority of corruption occurs,” he said.

“Not with people who get money in their pocket,by way of a bribe. But,regrettably,[those] who will be overly influenced by political gain or some other irrelevant and improper consideration,and therefore do not make a decision which serves the public interest.

“Operation Daintree is the most glaring example of that. We found no crime was committed. But we found serious misconduct at every level. That’s corruption.”

But Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas,the leader of the government in the lower house,said an expanded definition of corruption is not on the government’s agenda.

“We have a full legislative program already which we’ll be focused on,” Thomas said.

Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the Coalition was open to expanding Victoria’s definition of corruption,should it win office in 2026.

“We’ll have constructive discussions with anybody who’s interested as we are in cleaning up corruption in Victoria,” he said.

Greens leader Samantha Ratnam labelled Redlich’s concerns a “damning indictment” on the health of Victoria’s integrity system.

The Greens on Tuesday unveiled their own bill to broaden Victoria’s definition of corruption. But without the support of the government in the lower house,it is doomed to fail.

Separately,Assistant Treasurer Danny Pearson has written to acting Victorian Electoral Commissioner Dana Fleming to request the agency examine a donations “loophole” discussed by the director of a Liberal fundraising vehicle and allegedly corrupt developer John Woodman. The conversation was detailed in IBAC’s most recent report.

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