Ombudsman finds Victorian Labor misused $388,000 in election campaign funds
Victoria’s Labor Party improperly used nearly $388,000 in public funds during its 2014 election campaign, according to a report by the state’s Ombudsman, Deborah Glass.
The investigation found that 21 Labor MPs breached guidelines governing parliamentary staff by approving payments for electorate officers who performed campaign-related work. The election resulted in Daniel Andrews becoming Victorian Premier.
Among those named in the report were current ministers Jenny Mikakos, Martin Pakula, Lily D’Ambrosio, Gavin Jennings, John Eren and Gayle Tierney.
Under the relevant rules, electorate officers were not permitted to undertake political campaigning as part of their publicly funded roles.
Ms Glass found that the arrangement allowed campaign organisers to be employed as electorate officers, enabling part of the election campaign’s costs to be covered by parliamentary funds. She said some MPs believed the arrangement was legitimate, but the practice was still improper.
Former state treasurer John Lenders, who retired at the 2014 election, was identified as the person who devised the arrangement.
Premier Daniel Andrews said the money had been repaid in full following discussions between himself and the party’s state secretary. He also rejected calls for ministers and other MPs involved to resign, pointing out that the report did not recommend disciplinary action or criminal charges.
The Ombudsman’s investigation faced legal challenges from Labor, which argued that the matter fell outside her authority. However, the Supreme Court upheld her power to investigate in 2016.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy called on Labor to release all relevant records and reimburse legal costs incurred while attempting to stop the investigation. He also demanded the resignations of those involved.
Ms Glass highlighted weaknesses in the rules governing parliamentary spending, noting that the guidelines were not legally enforceable and could be unclear about the distinction between legitimate parliamentary work and political campaigning.
The report recommended stronger rules and tighter oversight of how public funds are used by MPs and their staff.
The findings have raised questions about accountability in the use of taxpayer money and the need for clearer safeguards around political campaign spending.
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Source : ABC News
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