Victorian government signals openness to last-minute IBAC reform tweaks before election week

In the final week of the Victorian parliamentary session, the government indicated it will support changes to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) reform bill currently in the upper house. Proposed amendments would scrap a long-standing “exceptional circumstances” test, allowing more public hearings, and broaden the commission’s working definition of corruption to enhance its investigative powers.

The opposition, led by James Newbury, praised the move but continues to press for the removal of a public-interest immunity provision that protects former Labor premiers Daniel Andrews and Jacinta Allan from compulsory testimony. While funding arrangements for IBAC remain unchanged, integrity groups such as Transparency International Australia and the Centre for Public Integrity have urged that the budget be set by parliament rather than cabinet.

Negotiations involving the government, opposition, and the Greens are reportedly progressing, with confidence that a deal will be reached before the week concludes. The debate occurs amid tributes to the late Greens MP Tim Read, who championed stronger anti-corruption powers before his death from skin cancer.