Centre for Public Integrity

Yeah.

So the Centre for Public Integrity, who I think do really important work, analysed one of the grants programs that the government has set up to deliver election commitments from the last election.

So it's this invite-only grants program.

You can't apply unless you were told that you had an election commitment.

And anyway, so you ask your question and then after question time, I get, as a cross-mention, I usually get like two minutes to respond to the answer.

And I got up and said, well...

You wanted the evidence, like here's the evidence, and tried to table this report from the Centre for Public Integrity, as you said, like a public document, and was denied leave.

So they said, no, you can't table it.

at the Electoral Commission.

The Centre for Public Integrity, I'm sure, would have views about how we might be able to have transparency around these issues.

I think that there's any range of mechanisms probably already deployed in other parts of the world.

Podcasters and influencers have been a phenomenon in the United States and Europe.

This is nearly $400 million.

Come on! On September 8, Centre for Public Integrity separately published an analysis of the government's $559.2 million major and local community infrastructure program.

It found that almost three quarters of funding in the round went to Labor-held electorates.

The centre examined 226 active applications identified in departmental documents and found the program was invitation-only and non-competitive.

It calculated that Labor competitive marginal divisions received 66 million, 66 million more than would have been expected under its proportional model.

And the centre said neither household income nor measures of community connectedness explained the distribution.

Well, this Centre for Public Integrity should just about get Australian of the Year.

Please don't let this story die.

So a special prosecutor to prosecute any wrongdoing essentially in real time.

If I move on to the IBAC, as the Centre for Public Integrity have labelled it today, you know, momentous change, the biggest reforms since IBAC was established.

For your listeners, it's actually putting teeth into the integrity agency here in Victoria.

For the first time now, it will be able to look at grey corruption with the broadening of the definitions.

Welcome to the Centre for Public Integrity's podcast series.

The Centre is considered by many to be Australia's leading democracy research institute.

In these podcasts, we aim to bring listeners with us as we explore with key people just how our democracy works.

Thank you.

Delighted to be here.

And listeners of this podcast will also be able to tune in later to the Centre for Public Integrity Oration that you're giving in Sydney tomorrow night.

And it's going to be wonderful to hear what you have to say then.

And perhaps some of the things we talk about today will touch on that.

Well, since the merger of Southern Cross and Seven West, it's become one of the three most powerful media companies in Australia after News Corp and Nine.

Former Judge Anthony Whaley, KC, is the chair of the Centre for Public Integrity.

The Centre for Public

Integrity has always had grave concerns about the revolving door, as we call it, where people of significant influence, such as ministers or senior bureaucrats, move across from their political career to positions of influence within private organisations.