15th November 2019
An Open Letter to the Premier of Victoria
Urgent action is required on the Investigation of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria
Dear Premier,
In light of yet more shocking revelations in the national media about the abject failure of the current system of police complaints in Victoria, we believe that action on the investigation and oversight of police corruption and misconduct is urgently required.
The IBAC Committee’s (IBACC) report, ‘Inquiry into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria’, was tabled in the Victorian 58th Parliament on 4 September 2018.[1]
The IBACC inquiry identified concerns regarding the failure of the current complaint system to meet the human rights and justice needs of Victorian citizens, or establish clear accountability outcomes. These concerns remain and have not yet been addressed.
There has been no action from the Victorian Government in the 13 months since the IBACC report was tabled.
As such, the undersigned call upon the Government to urgently bring forward legislation and policy that will fund IBAC sufficiently, create the new Police Corruption and Misconduct Division within IBAC, ensure Victoria Police acts on all recommendations, including those relating to transparency; and legislate to implement these recommendations.
The IBACC report is an important and thorough analysis of police oversight in Victoria that pays careful attention to the experiences of vulnerable Victorians and explored international best practice in this vital area of integrity and anti-corruption reform.
Its ground breaking set of recommendations acknowledged the clear public interest in a complaint system where complaints of serious police misconduct are investigated independently of the police.
In its current form IBAC does not have the powers or resources to properly and independently investigate serious police misconduct.
We call on your government to act urgently and restore the community’s faith in the police accountability system.
We look forward to assisting you in implementing this critically important and historic reform.
Yours sincerely
| Serina McDuff
Executive Officer Federation of Community Legal Centres (Victoria) Inc.
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| Ariel Couchman
Director Youthlaw
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| Anthony Kelly
Executive Officer Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre |
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| Claudia Fatone
Chief Executive Officer Fitzroy Legal Service Inc.
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| Jeremy King
Principal / Accredited Specialist Robinson Gill Lawyers |
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| Jessie Taylor
President Liberty Victoria
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| Kaz Gurney
Manager and Principal Lawyer Goulburn Valley Community Legal Centre |
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| Kristen Wallwork,
Executive director Springvale Monash Legal Service
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| Dr Mark Zirnsak
Senior Social Justice Advocate Uniting Church in Australia
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| Associate Professor Leanne Weber
Director Border Crossing Observatory |
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| Carmel Guerra OAM
Chief Executive Officer Centre for Multicultural Youth |
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| Clare Sauro
Principal Lawyer Loddon Campaspe Community Legal Centre |
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| Nadia Morales & Jessica de Vries
Acting Co-Chief Executive Officers Inner Melbourne Community Legal |
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Jazeer Nijamudeen
President
Muslim Legal Network
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| Ruth Barson
Legal Director Human Rights Law Centre |
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| Geraldine Collins
Victorian ALA Committee Australian Lawyers Alliance |
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| Nerita Waight
Chief Executive Officer Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service |
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| Dr Diana Johns
Senior Lecturer in Criminology, The University of Melbourne, Co-convener: Justice-involved Young People (JYP) Network
Dr Dave McDonald Lecturer in Criminology, University of Melbourne |
[1] Inquiry into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria , https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/ibacc/article/3802
Age Editorial: Police complaints system in urgent need of improvement, 28 October 2019
“It’s time Mr Andrews listened more carefully to those who are calling for change to a system that should be better.” – The Age
‘This isn’t over’: Woman who won police shooting payout demands justice, Cameron Houston and Tom Cowie, The Age, 14 November 2019
“I want to know when IBAC will launch their independent investigation. There is so much more to the incident than the public are aware of.”
