2025: A Call to End Corruption in Victoria

In a scathing critique of Victoria’s political landscape, Council Watch has raised concerns over widespread Council corruption, with renewed calls for accountability in state and local council governance. While corruption has long been a contentious issue, critics argue it has become deeply entrenched, with the public increasingly resigned to a "business as usual" approach to ethical breaches. In Victoria, under IBAC and the Local Government Inspectorate, corruption has been fostered, enabled and aided, in many ways able to flourish and be excused too often.

The Growing Shadow of Corruption

Corruption in Victoria has evolved, critics say, from blatant misconduct to what is now being termed "grey corruption"—questionable behaviour that, while not explicitly criminal, raises serious ethical concerns. This shift, some argue, has enabled a culture where public officials prioritise personal and political gain over public interest, often in plain sight or easily identified, yet no one will do anything about it.

The Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC), established to safeguard public trust, has faced sharp criticism for its perceived inability to address these issues effectively. Recent cases, including the fallout from its 2020 Operation Watts report, have sparked outrage over the lack of tangible consequences for those implicated.

The report revealed systemic misuse of public funds, factional branch stacking, and a political culture where "the ends justify the means." Yet, despite the damning findings, no prosecutions followed, leaving many questioning IBAC’s efficacy.

" Why do we continue to see a government in power making such political appointments to oversight agencies, enabling a complete abandonment of standards? This is totally unacceptable" says Dean Hurlston, President of Council Watch.

Defining the Problem: Grey Corruption

Critics have taken aim at the state’s adoption of "grey corruption" as a framework for addressing ethical misconduct. IBAC defines grey corruption as "questionable behaviour and decision-making that benefits a person’s associates or networks without amounting to criminal conduct." Detractors argue this redefinition has lowered the bar for accountability and normalized behaviour that should be unequivocally condemned.

"Corruption is corruption" says Council Watch. "Dishonest or unethical behaviour that benefits individuals or their associates is fundamentally wrong, whether or not it meets a legal threshold for prosecution. It’s just bloody corruption, and its everywhere in local government, but IBAC and the LGI have sanitised it and called it GREY” says Dean Hurlston. President of Council Watch. He wants IBAC and the LGI disbanded and a much stronger division of the police force to deal with it, away from any political interference. "We need to be seeing prosecutions, fines, and potential jail sentences for the misuse of public money, not coverups" Hurlston says.

Public Trust in Peril

Local councils have also come under scrutiny, with high-profile scandals in municipalities such as Casey, Moonee Valley, and others. Allegations range from conflicts of interest to mismanagement of public funds. These cases have underscored the need for greater transparency and stricter enforcement of ethical standards at all levels of government.

Observers point to systemic failures in addressing corruption, with whistleblowers and concerned citizens often left unheard. "Despite concrete evidence of improper conduct, nothing happens," said one source familiar with several cases. "No one is sacked. No one is held to account." staff regularly complain.

A Path Forward: Calls for URGENT Reform

As Victoria grapples with its corruption narrative, critics are urging the newly minted Opposition Leader, Brad Battin, to make anti-corruption reforms a central pillar of his agenda.

Proposals include:

• Establishing a NEW corruption body to take over the weak IBAC and Local Government Inspectorate functions

• Introducing stricter definitions and penalties for grey corruption.

• Establishing clearer accountability measures for public officials.

• Empowering citizens to report misconduct with robust whistleblower protections.

• Making it easier for fines, prosecutions and public penalties.
  

"Everything wrong in Victoria today stems from a form of corruption," assert Council Watch. "From cost-of-living pressures to the erosion of public trust, corruption touches every aspect of our lives."

The Public's Role in Accountability

Rebuilding trust will require more than institutional reform — it demands public engagement.

Critics argue that complacency among voters has allowed unethical behaviour to persist. "Stopping corruption starts with all of us," Hurlston says. "We must demand better from our leaders and refuse to accept the narrative that this is just the way things are or that it’s somehow better because it's just Grey corruption. There should be no such weakening and watering down, corruption is corruption. There is just no excuse, and we are disgusted in our oversight agencies like IBAC and the Local Government Inspectorate excusing ANY corruption. Corruption robs communities of better outcomes and good use of public monies".

As Victoria enters 2025, the message is clear: tackling corruption is not just a political issue—it is a societal imperative. Whether meaningful change will follow remains to be seen, but the call for reform has never been louder.

Council Watch says that in 2025 it’s time for all corruption to be labelled as just that, and they will be steadfast in helping expose it, regardless of any attempts to water the definitions down.

“If you are a CEO, Staffer or Councillor and you do corrupt things, we will help to expose it”.

There are over $115 Billion in Public Council assets in Victoria alone - protecting them requires everyone's attention.