While appearing before a Parliamentary committee today, Daniel Andrews has been exposed lying about funding to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), Victoria’s corruption watchdog.
Daniel Andrews said on the floor of Parliament on the 12 November:
“The budget will be delivered on 24 November and IBAC will receive more funding than it has ever received before.”
This is the table of funding allocation to IBAC that is on pg 384 of Daniel Andrews’ Budget Paper No. 3:
Labor’s budget cut is spelt out in black and white in Daniel Andrews’ budget paper.
Daniel Andrews has wielded a savage $4.4 million cut to last year’s expenditure on the very watchdog that is currently undertaking at least three different corruption investigations involving Andrews’ Victorian Labor Party.
Despite this inconvenient truth, while appearing before a Parliamentary committee today, Andrews refused to acknowledge and tied himself up in knots while trying to explain away his vicious IBAC budget cut.
In the Message from the Commissioner – October 2020, IBAC Commissioner, The Honourable Robert Redlich AM QC, stated:
“IBAC is experiencing serious constraints on its operations due to its current, perilous budgetary position.”
and
“Exposing and preventing corruption cannot be adequately done on a static, inadequate budget.”
Even after these strong statements from the IBAC Commissioner, Daniel Andrews is attempting to restrict the important work IBAC undertakes by slashing the watchdog’s funding.
Comments attributable to the Shadow Special Minister of State, Kim Wells:
“Not only has Daniel Andrews cut IBAC’s funding, now he’s lying about it.
“What exactly does Daniel Andrews want to hide by cutting funding to IBAC?
“IBAC has called for and must be properly funded to expose and prevent corruption in Victoria.
“With at least three current investigations looking into Labor’s corrupt behaviour, it is disgraceful that Andrews is cutting funding to the very agency investigating them.”
