“The government has broken the law”: Victorian Opposition refers state department secretaries to IBAC

Victorian Opposition leader, Michael O’Brien, has referred the heads of four Victorian government departments to the state’s anti-corruption watchdog over advertising which he says breaches the Public Administration Act.

Yesterday the Andrew’s government launched a million dollar advertising campaign attacking the Morrison government for not giving Victoria its fair share of Commonwealth funding for schools and hospitals.

The secretaries of the Premier and Cabinet, Treasury, Health and Education departments have been referred to independent anti-corruption watchdog, IBAC.

“We think the government has broken the law by spending over a million dollars of taxpayers money to run advertisements attacking the federal government,” Michael O’Brien told 3AW Drive.

He said under the Public Administration Act a public sector communication cannot be designed to influence public sentiment for or against the current federal government.

“It is flat out illegal. Daniel Andrews and his departmental secretaries have broken the law,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Under Daniel Andrews we are seeing the Victorian Public Service not being apolitical, not being independent, they’re turning into a campaign arm of the Labor party.

“I wish Mr Andrews thought his job was running the state, instead of trying to be Bill Shorten’s campaign manager,” he said.

The department secretaries who have been referred to IBAC are:

• Chris Eccles, Department of Premier and Cabinet
• David Martine, Department of Treasury and Finance
• Jenny Atta, Department of Education
• Kym Peake, Department of Health and Human Services

3AW Drive contacted Premier Daniel Andrews and Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings for comment but did not receive a response.