Tuesday 27 February 2024
Statement from Shadow Attorney-General on appointment of new Victorian Ombudsman
The Liberals and Nationals note the appointment by the Allan Labor Government of Marlo Baragwanath to replace the distinguished and highly respected Deborah Glass OBE as Victorian Ombudsman.
In a previous role as the Victorian Government Solicitor, Ms Baragwanath agreed to release thousands of highly sensitive documents at the behest of then Labor Premier Daniel Andrews.
The release of those documents publicly exposed the private details of many Victorians including mental health assessments, criminal records, financial details as well as the personal information of children.
Ms Baragwanath has never adequately explained why she complied with the Labor Government’s request at such a cost to the privacy and dignity of so many Victorians.
In light of this, we call on Ms Baragwanath to explain her past actions if she is to seek to restore trust with Victorians in her new role as Ombudsman.
Victorians deserve an integrity watchdog, not a Labor lapdog.