INDEPENDENT BROAD-BASED ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION BILL 2011 and VICTORIAN INSPECTORATE BILL 2011

Mr SOUTHWICK -- I rise to speak on the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission Bill 2011. This is an important bill. It will establish Victoria's first ever independent, broadbased anticorruption commission and introduce transparency, accountability and visibility in the public sector and all tiers of government.

We have heard from many members today, and I was happy to hear that the opposition is not opposing the bill. If you listened to the drivel we have heard during the debate -- in particular from the member for Ivanhoe -- questioning the integrity of the Governor in Council and Governor in Council appointments, you would be surprised that the opposition is not opposing the legislation.

I wish to talk about some of the key elements of the bill, but I will come back to the issue of the appointment of an independent officer, because it is integral to the bill that the Commissioner be independent, accountable and transparent.

This is an important stage in integrity reforms in Victoria -- a huge step.

In the 11 years of Labor government it completely failed to introduce any form of independent, broadbased anticorruption commission. It mixed together several ways to cope with the problem, many of which were completely ineffective. Earlier today we heard from the member for Melton, who spoke about corruption issues in local councils. Interestingly, the corrupt conduct in councils occurred under the former government. It is ironic that the opposition talks about the corruption we have had for too long in this state and how it needs to be addressed.

The legislation is about fixing the system up -- it is a commitment to restoring integrity in government, increasing transparency and removing the culture of secrecy that existed for 11 years under Labor.

The keystone of the government's integrity reforms is the investment of $170 million over four years to establish the Independent Broad-based Anticorruption Commission (IBAC). The government is committed to getting the model right, and this is an important point for me to make today. That is why we are taking our time and doing it properly. We are not rushing and cobbling together an anticorruption regime. The member for Melton suggested earlier that he would have liked to have seen the legislation introduced before 1 July -- he would have liked us to rush into this. You only have to look at the previous government's rushed projects such as the desalination plant, myki and smart meters, all undertaken without the proper planning processes, to see the need to ensure that we get the model right. This government will get it right -- that is what we are here to do. We are here to restore the faith in all tiers of government.

We will ensure that the IBAC investigates, exposes and prevents corruption across the entire public sector -- from police to local government, from the public service to members of Parliament. This is a courageous move, because as government members we are the ones under the most scrutiny. We are out to ensure that we are scrutinised. We have nothing to hide, as they say. We have introduced the bill, and we are lifting the standards of integrity in behaviour and restoring the public's confidence in the system.

Let us get this straight: Labor had 11 long years to do something. The Minister for Ports courageously spoke yesterday about the mistakes made by the previous government and all the local councils that acted in a corrupt manner during its term. There is a long list of corrupt activities in a range of councils.

Brimbank sends shivers down the spine of most of us, but there is also Hume and Geelong, and the list keeps going. It includes Hakki Suleyman and his connections to the previous government, and his daughter, who was part of Brimbank City Council at the time. All this was going on under the previous government. We will clean up the mess left behind and fix the problem.

I turn to some of the interstate initiatives. In the time since the Independent Commission Against Corruption was established in New South Wales -- it is a good system, although we are taking it a step further by including the police -- some 600 improper actions have been caught up through the process.

In establishing the commission, we know that prevention is much better than cure. The commission will prevent corruption in government agencies through providing education and information.

The Honourable Jerrold Cripps, QC, the New South Wales Independent Commission against Corruption Commissioner, told local community leaders in Charlestown that prevention of corrupt conduct is preferable to curing corruption once it has taken hold. He is quoted in a media release issued by the New South Wales ICAC as saying:

We all know the old adage that prevention is better than cure, and this certainly applies when it comes to corrupt conduct involving government agencies.

He is also quoted as saying:

That is one of the reasons why the ICAC so keenly visits regional New South Wales, as through our corruption prevention and education program we can help agencies to better equip themselves to prevent corruption from occurring in the first place.

This is important because it goes to the crux of the issue -- educating agencies, informing them about what is right and proper and making sure that they have the information at hand before it is too late.

At the end of the day it is not about removing the people who caused the problem; it is about preventing it from occurring in the first place.

I would like to draw the attention of the house to some of the comments made by opposition members in regard to the transparency of the appointment. The Commissioner will be an independent officer of the Parliament.

The bill establishes the Commissioner of the Independent, Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) and the Inspector of the Victorian Inspectorate as officers of the Parliament appointed by the Governor in Council who will have complete discretion in the performance or exercise of their duties. They will not be subject to the direction or control of the minister; they will be completely independent.

The officers will not report directly to the minister but to the Parliament. The provisions are modelled on the independent officers provisions in the Constitution Act 1975, which also relate to other independent officers of Parliament such as the Auditor-General and the Ombudsman, and I am sure we do not question those officers. Contributions from opposition members have questioned the reporting process, but it is very clear that these officers will follow the same process as the Auditor-General and the Ombudsman in the way they report to Parliament.

I also note that the provisions relating to the appointment of the inaugural IBAC commissioner are consistent with the inaugural provisions as set out in anticorruption legislation in Queensland and Western Australia, so we are following models that have been successfully implemented. Let us not get this wrong; the inaugural commissioner will have a very big and important job. We are setting new ground, and the officers will not have the benefit of hindsight other than being able to look at what has been done in other states. We need to get this right. These appointments will not be made by the Premier, as members opposite continue to suggest; they will be appointments made by the Governor in Council.

This is great legislation. It is something we have worked on long and hard. We have taken our time to get it right, because it is important that we get it right. I am sure members on both sides of the house want to ensure we have a transparent and visible system that we can all be proud of.

I recommend the bill to the house.