Motion: Attempt to Introduce: Independent Broad-Based Corruption Commission Amendment (Facilitating Timely Reporting) Bill 2026.

MOTION:

‘ATTEMPT TO INTRODUCE: INDEPENDENT BROAD-BASED ANTICORRUPTION COMMISSION AMENDMENT (FACILITATING TIMELY REPORTING) BILL 2026’.

Wednesday, 17 June 2026

Mr NEWBURY (Brighton) (09:37):

I move:

That I introduce a Bill for an Act to amend the Independent Broad-based Anticorruption Commission Act 2011 to facilitate timely reporting by the IBAC and for other purposes.

For too long there has been a cover-up occurring in Victoria. There has been cover-up occurring for corruption that is infesting our State. What the Coalition is seeking to do today is move a Bill to make sure that when IBAC do work, their reports are tabled fast. We want their work tabled. We look at what has happened recently with Operation Richmond, which commenced seven years ago. Seven years ago that investigation commenced, and today we are still seeing the runaround on that report. Frankly, I think most Victorians would say the court system is being misused. Whether or not that opinion is right, most Victorians would say it. They would say, ‘How, after seven years, can a corruption investigation report not be made public?’ We have seen the chief integrity agency IBAC publicly call or action on the speedy release of their work – well, so it should be. The test now for this Chamber is: will this Government continue to allow the cover-up? Will
they allow the cover-up, because they are about to vote on it. The Government is about to vote as to whether or not our corruption reports can have the light that they deserve to receive and the public scrutiny that they deserve. This is a test for the Government. This legislation will enable speedy reporting, fast reporting, and a new legislative requirement that these reports are tabled speedily – and so it should be the case.

That does not take away from the court’s capacity in certain limited circumstances in relation to natural justice, and neither should that be the case when it comes to certain very unusual circumstances. When it comes to health and safety, these types of issues will still be as they should be – in the purview of the courts. This Bill in no way has constitutional concerns because the courts should still have the capacity to intervene where it is appropriate and, as I said, where it is an unusual circumstance, not for people who, in a lot of Victorians’ minds, are simply using the courts to stop publication because they do not want their name bandied around for behaviour they may or may not have committed. It is wrong. It has to stop.

We saw the train wreck interview last night where calls and questions about cover-ups were put to the Premier. This goes to the heart of this Bill, the urgency of this Bill. The Premier was asked about the cover-ups that are occurring in Victoria, and four times she refused to answer. The test is now with the Premier. It is with the Labor Government. Will they support the introduction of this Bill? Will they allow the fast, speedy transparency when it comes to corruption work that we all deserve, that Victoria needs to see, to let the sunlight in?

Not only will this be a legislative requirement if this Bill is put through in place, but it will allow the State Government, in circumstances where you see someone misusing the court system, to intervene and participate in any application put by a person to the court where it is believed to be vexatious and to have the power of that law behind them, so the courts can hear from the state that we need to start to balance transparency more than certain individuals covering up their behaviour. That is what I think most Victorians believe.

Today is an important day. We are calling on the Government to vote for the urgent introduction of this Bill.