Review of Victoria's integrity and anti-corruption system - IPAA Victoria

executive summaryintroductionIn November 2009, the Premier requested that the Public Sector Standards Commissioner,Peter Allen, and Special Commissioner, Elizabeth Proust, review the efficiency and effectiveness ofVictoria’s integrity and anti-corruption system. This includes the Auditor-General, LocalGovernment Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate, the Office of Police Integrity, theOmbudsman and Victoria Police.The Review involved consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, as listed at Appendix A. It alsoreceived 54 submissions in response to advertisements placed in one national and two state-widenewspapers. A list of submissions received is at Appendix B. In addition, a literature review and asurvey on perceptions of corruption were conducted, as indicated in Appendix C and Appendix D.This report presents the Review’s findings and recommendations.contextThe Victorian community is entitled to expect that public officials will act with integrity, and thatmaladministration, misconduct and corruption are identified and addressed. While the primary dutyto ensure integrity is upheld resides with individual public officials and their employers, thisresponsibility is supplemented by a range of external integrity bodies that scrutinise performance,ensure accountability and report transparently on any issues found during investigations. InVictoria, these integrity bodies include:• the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office – conducts financial statement audits and performanceaudits.• the Local Government Investigations and Compliance Inspectorate – investigates compliancewith conduct and other requirements under the Local Government Act 1989.• the Office of Police Integrity – detects and investigates serious police misconduct andcorruption.• the Office of the Ombudsman – investigates complaints and conducts own motion enquiresinto administrative actions and decisions, and manages public interest whistleblowerdisclosures alleging serious misconduct or corruption.• Victoria Police – investigates crime, including criminal misconduct in the public sector andlocal government sector.• Public Sector Standards Commissioner – issues binding codes of conduct and employmentstandards and promotes high standards of integrity and conduct in the public sector.• other integrity bodies – a range of specific watchdog and review functions (eg. HealthServices Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner).Review of Victoria’s integrity and anti-corruption system | vii