“Legislative reform is always a slow process, regrettably,” he said. “We have a more prescriptive regime than any other integrity commissioners, and that’s a good thing.
“It creates burdens for us from time to time, but I think it’s a good thing.”
When asked whether Victorians could have faith in the integrity of outcomes when the agency was underfunded, Redlich said “oversight capabilities” allowed IBAC to remain effective.
“If the process being followed within Victoria Police turns out to be inadequate, we can identify that,” he said.
Earlier this month, the integrity agency’s decision to interview Premier Daniel Andrews privately as part of separate investigations into branch stacking within the Labor Party and corrupt land deals in Melbourne’s outer south-east came under fire.
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The Victorian opposition, former Labor minister Adem Somyurek and other commentators questioned IBAC’s independence over its decision to interview Andrews in private hearings as part of operations Watts and Sandon.
After repeatedly stating that he was unable to refer to the case directly on Wednesday, Redlich defended the agency’s process by stating that it could never call a witness in public unless it was confident the questioning would not unreasonably impact the person’s reputation.
“I think there’s a profound misunderstanding,” he said. “We’re not like a Royal Commission.”
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Anti-corruption boss warns IBAC needs powers to search suspects, seize phones
Source: Philippines Alive
