Victorian minister under fire for writing 33 character references including for taxi driver who assaulted women | Victorian politics

Newly promoted Victorian government minister Luba Grigorovitch has said she will never write another character reference after revealing she regretted writing six character references, including one for a taxi driver convicted of assaulting female passengers.

Grigorovitch issued a statement Monday night, confirming that since signing up for Koroit in late 2022, he has provided “approximately 33” character references, including six to “people I know I shouldn’t have.”

“I was unaware of their history at the time I provided these references. I will no longer be providing character references and I apologize for any offense I have caused.”

This included two separate character references for voters fighting against the federal government’s decisions to revoke their visas because they failed the character test.

Last week the Herald Sun reported that Grigorovitch made a character reference to former taxi driver Mohammed Isa, who indecently assaulted female passengers in 2013.

According to the transcript of the administrative review tribunal decision seen by Guardian Australia, Grigorovitch wrote that he had known Jesus “for a number of years” and could “confidently attest to his character, integrity and contribution to Australian society”.

However, ART’s decision in May said Isa accepted that he was “unaware of Grigorovitch’s past crimes” when he wrote the reference. They rejected his appeal citing “serious past offending, the implausibility of the current narrative and a continuing lack of insight and acceptance of responsibility”.

The Australian Financial Review reported in 2024 that it had written another for the 38-year-old Pakistani national, nicknamed CYNW, after she appealed the immigration minister’s decision to refuse her a partner visa due to a past domestic violence offense against her ex-partner. This has been independently confirmed by Guardian Australia.

Speaking outside parliament on Tuesday, Grigorovitch confirmed the reports but refused to give details of the remaining four character references, which she said she regretted because they involved “private individuals”.

“I have provided a number of character references since 2022. During this time, I have provided them to members of the community who are looking to rebuild their lives, looking for work, looking for housing, etc.,” he told reporters.

“I realized it was a mistake. I have now moved on from that mistake. I’m sorry and it won’t happen again.”

Grigorovitch said he knew each of the people he provided characters for because they were “volunteers in the community.”

He said he was not aware they were affiliated with a union, although “they may be members of the Labor Party”, and acknowledged his office had no vetting process in place.

“My process isn’t good enough and that’s why I came here today and apologized and said I shouldn’t have given a character reference,” he said. “I will not be giving character references going forward. Final point.”

Grigorovitch, a former state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, was elevated to the cabinet by Prime Minister Jacinta Allan in April and given portfolios of young people, carers and volunteers.

He immediately hit the headlines after saying he had “no regrets” about his past friendship with former construction union leader John Setka, with whom he worked closely at the RBTU. He also personally thanked Setka in his first speech in 2023 and attended Setka’s wedding the same year.

Shadow attorney general James Newbury, who in April criticized Grigorovitch’s elevation to the cabinet because of her ties to Setka, said the remarks about the character references were evidence that she was “unfit to be a minister”.

“If this government had integrity, it would be dismissed,” he said. “It lacks integrity. So I’m confident that by election day there should be an improving part of this ministry.”

Greens leader Ellen Sandell said she had written only one character reference for someone she knew “personally” in her 12 years as an MP.

“It’s a matter of common sense and common sense that you don’t give character references to people you don’t know,” he said.

“It’s certainly a matter of good judgment and if there are Labor MPs who can’t use that basic common sense and good judgement, what are they doing there?”

While Grigorovitch said “many MPs” had made character references, fellow minister Harriet Shing told reporters she had not done so.

“I can assure you that it has never been my practice to give people character references,” Shing said. “This is something I take really seriously.”

Earlier this year the Liberal party was also embroiled in its own character reference scandal; political hopeful Dinesh Gourisetty won a primary vote but was not officially confirmed 24 hours later after it was revealed he had written a character reference for a convicted sex offender.

As a result, the party reviewed its vetting processes.