The Victorian Parliament has presented a bill aimed at broadening the jurisdiction of its corruption court.

The proposed bill seeks to redefine corrupt conduct, ensuring it encompasses a wider spectrum of activities that might not necessarily constitute criminal offences under the law.

Dr Samantha Ratnam, leader of the Victorian Greens, highlighted the implications of this bill during a session in the Legislative Council.

She says that if these suggested changes were enacted, the authority of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) would expand to cover a more diverse range of issues.

“This would mean IBAC can identify, investigate and expose corrupt conduct of public officers that does not constitute a criminal offence – things such as serious breaches of codes of conduct of MPs and ministers, egregious pork-barrelling and the awarding of non-competitive tenders and appointments to public positions,” Ratnam said.

“The transitional arrangements in the bill provide that this broadened jurisdiction can be applied retrospectively to conduct that occurred before commencement, as well as allowing IBAC to re-examine matters that it has previously dismissed or referred to another agency.”

Ratnam contended that these changes would align Victoria's anti-corruption framework with other regions across the country. 

This would encompass entities like the National Anti-Corruption Commission, which possesses the mandate to scrutinise non-criminal conduct under its purview.

These developments follow a recent critique by former IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich of the Andrews government. 

He publicly criticised the government's handling of Operation Daintree, a probe that revealed a union had been granted a $1.2 million government contract in 2018 without competitive bidding.

“Soft corruption has left its mark across the nation, spanning decades and impacting various politicians, parties, and regions. Victoria must not fall behind in terms of political integrity compared to the rest of the country,” Ratnam stressed.