If it were not for Jeff Kennett,Monday might be just another day in the political life of Daniel Andrews.
The voting rights of Labor members have been suspended since June 2020 when an “industrial-scale” branch-stacking scandal meant the party’s national executive took over.
Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commissioner Robert Redlich,KC,has called for a suite of legislative reforms,walking back his previous stance that Victoria should maintain its high threshold for public examinations.
The 90-minute forum in front of an audience of about 70 people was far from boring. A feisty exchange on infrastructure,an examination of the power of the crossbench and plenty of advice from the audience were among the standout moments.
Operation Daintree is not about political figures or union officials with their snouts in the trough. It is about something more commonplace and insidious.
In her valedictory speech in parliament on Tuesday,the outgoing Kororoit MP addressed the findings of a joint IBAC and ombudsman investigation that made adverse findings against her and Adem Somyurek.
It was once a political truism that integrity and transparency are not vote-changers. But with the Andrews government and the opposition both facing controversies,that might have changed.
When Adam Sullivan was drowning in Labor’s cesspit of dirty work and personal ambition,no one would pull him out. So,can the party really be trusted to clean up its entrenched culture?
Premier Daniel Andrews’ influential deputy chief of staff attends Labor campaign committee meetings about once a month,but could be barred from doing so under new rules.
Proposed changes fail to remove incentives that encourage party powerbrokers to use branch-stacking to gain influence.
This call for urgent reform from the state’s top integrity agencies presents an opportunity to bolster the Victorian integrity framework more broadly.