New Commission Can Force Evidence in Misconduct Probes; Fines or Jail for Leaking Information
Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Bill 2024
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Topics
anti-corruption ethics investigations government accountability government integrity government oversight government transparency information sharing parliamentary oversight public accountability workplace standards
Introduced by: Jacinta Allan MP (ALP); The Hon Jaclyn Symes MLC (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
There will now be a Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission to handle complaints of bullying, harassment, and other forms of inappropriate conduct by Members of Parliament (MPs), Ministers, and Parliamentary Secretaries.
There will now be a Parliamentary Integrity Adviser and a Parliamentary Ethics Committee.
The Parliament of Victoria is creating a Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission, a Parliamentary Integrity Adviser, and a Parliamentary Ethics Committee.
Anyone can report a current or former Member, Minister, or Parliamentary Secretary to the Commission for parliamentary misconduct. This report must be made within 12 months of finding out about the conduct.
The Commission can send a written notice to force a person to provide documents or information for an investigation. The Commission can also force a person to attend an interview.
The Commission must record these interviews. It must give a copy of the recording and the transcript to the person interviewed and the Victorian Inspectorate.
The Commission and its officers must not share information they get through their work unless the law allows it. Commission officers who share this information unlawfully can be fined or jailed for up to 12 months.
The Commission must dismiss or redirect reports that are about private matters, internal party funding, or things that happened before the law started.