Guy referred to IBAC as Vic election looms

Callum Godde, Kaitlyn Offer and Tara Cosoleto | November 17, 2022

Would-be premier Matthew Guy has proclaimed his innocence after being referred to Victoria’s corruption watchdog nine days out from the election.

The Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) on Wednesday sent its probe into Matthew Guy and his former chief of staff Mitch Catlin to the Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission for further investigation.

Electoral commissioner Warwick Gately said his organisation had exhausted attempts to probe into what may be a breach of Victoria’s funding and disclosure laws under the Electoral Act.

“We became aware of suggestions Mr Catlin was alleged to have tried to circumvent donation disclosure laws,” he said in a statement on Thursday.

“It’s my responsibility to ensure compliance with all electoral laws and ensure all participants are held to the same standard.”

Mr Catlin resigned in August after it was revealed he allegedly asked a billionaire Liberal donor to make more than $100,000 in payments to his private marketing company.

A contract for the proposed arrangement was sent to Mr Guy’s personal email address, but he has categorically denied it was signed or agreed.

Mr Guy has repeatedly said he and the Liberal Party have fully co-operated with the electoral commission, and denied exploiting a legal loophole to stymie the probe.

“I’ve done nothing wrong,” he told reporters at Morwell on Thursday.

“I provided everything that was asked to me. I’ve done that once, I’ll do that again if need be.”

But the electoral commission contradicts that claim, saying it had not received full co-operation from those involved.

While not in a position to allege wrongdoing based on the allegations, the VEC said it couldn’t rule out the possibility of offences.

Mr Guy pointed to that statement before slamming the Labor government’s own multiple corruption investigations. 

Premier Daniel Andrews’ government is the subject of another anti-corruption commission inquiry over the awarding of two grants worth $3.4 million to a union on the eve of the 2018 election, despite objections from Health Department officials.

Since first elected in 2014, the Andrews government and Labor have been the focus of repeated integrity inquiries over branch-stacking schemes and misusing taxpayer funds.

It comes as so-called “preference whisperer” Glenn Druery will be referred to the corruption watchdog after leaked recordings exposed him manipulating Victoria’s voting system.

A covert video uncovering the backroom preference dealings was sent by the Angry Victorians Party to the Herald Sun. 

In the footage, Mr Druery explains his method to get candidates elected as part of the state’s group voting ticket system.

Victoria is the only Australian jurisdiction with the system, which allows parties to distribute upper-house preferences when people vote above the line.

Party officials said they were first contacted by Mr Druery in May and feigned interest in his services, secretly recording him asking for $55,000 for each candidate elected at the November 26 poll.

He boasted Labor was happy with his operation after he worked with eight of the 11 crossbenchers elected in 2018, leading to four Greens MP losing their seats.

Mr Andrews said the recordings were concerning, but he would not commit to reform, wanting to wait for the verdict from parliament’s post-election committee.

That Labor-chaired committee in 2020 recommended an inquiry into group voting tickets following the 2018 election, but it did not materialise.

The coalition supports changing the system, with Mr Guy likening the buying of seats to a third-world democracy.

Meanwhile, teal independent candidates have been given the green light to use their preferred how-to-vote cards after the VEC’s decision to reject their designs was struck out.

The Victorian Civil and Administration Tribunal found the cards were not misleading to voters, as argued by the commission.