Shadow attorney-general puts “Labor cronies” on notice regarding board positions
Labor members and associates will be expelled from Victorian government benches if the Coalition is elected in November, shadow attorney general James Newbury declared “fellow Labor” officially in office.
“I’m telling you. Clean up your resume because it’s time to clean house in Victoria.”
Commitment comes later Age More than every 10 of the highest-paying board positions in the state are filled by a Labor member or someone with close ties to the party, it has been revealed.
ALP members make up just 0.17 per cent of Victoria’s population, raising concerns that councils do not accurately reflect the society they serve.
The findings raise questions about the integrity of an appointment system that is specifically intended to be merit-based and reflect the diversity of society.
The state’s 843 boards oversee everything from the pipes that supply the state’s water to health care and cemetery foundations; some management roles command annual salaries of up to $160,000 for part-time work.
“Our clear intention is to actively improve the quality of Victoria’s boards,” he said.
“I’m telling all the friends of the Labor Party, and there are hundreds of people who are taxpayers, I’m informing you today.”
Newbury said that some former MPs were appointed to government boards before the ink had dried on the press release announcing their retirement, turning the appointment process into a joke.
“I hope that in November Victorians will vote for this Labor government,” he said. “And if you are one of the friends in the government board, resign. Because the day after the election you will not hear any good news.”
A spokesman for the Allan government responded to Newbury’s comments by saying the Liberal Party was “obsessed with putting people out of work”.
“They’re not going to stop at the board of directors. They’re going to go after nurses and teachers and fire them,” they said.
Accountability Roundtable member Peter Frost said figures on Labor-linked board appointments confirmed a pattern flagged by integrity experts for years.
“Public officials, whether elected or appointed, are representatives of the people,” he said.
“There is a risk of breaking trust when board appointments are handed over to political allies.
“Victorians have no way of knowing whether the people who control their hospitals, water authorities and infrastructure are making decisions in the public interest or the party’s interest,” he said.
Frost, formerly head of the Office of Public Sector Management and special adviser on public sector reform, said this was an issue that went well beyond the current government and had been going on for years.
“This is not just a minor management concern. It creates a risk to the integrity of public institutions.”
While smaller board positions, which are often unpaid, are filled by departments, any appointment deemed “important” must go through the cabinet room.
Frost said this system was designed to maintain political control over appointments and did not provide independent checks or meaningful transparency.
“Such appointments need to be reviewed by a parliamentary committee,” Frost said.
Prime Minister Jacinta Allan defended the current system of appointing board members on Sunday.
“There is always a comprehensive process followed for board appointments and Victorian government boards have the best people for the job on those boards,” he said.
On Monday, Age It revealed former Federal Labor MP and shadow deputy defense minister David Feeney was appointed as Victoria’s key defense industry intermediary while working for a lobbying firm with clients in the industry.
The firm in question, Dragoman, confirmed that they had discussed potential conflicts of interest with Feeney to ensure these were prevented.
This byline does not suggest that Feeney or the government failed to appropriately manage any conflicts of interest between his positions.
The coalition did not elaborate on how its plans would work, other than to say that if elected they would actively dissolve board positions or entire boards in cases of suspected political interference.
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Chip Le Grand leads our state politics reporting team. He had previously served as the newspaper’s chief correspondent and was a journalist with 30 years of experience.Connect via email.
