EditorialJune 3, 2026 — 5:00am“I am no longer satisfied that IBAC has the powers it needs to do its job in full.”During Monday’s press conference, it seemed as though Premier Jacinta Allan was inhabiting a parallel universe.A universe where Labor governments never rejected or ignored calls going back a decade for the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission to be given additional powers. A universe where the Allan government did not shut down parliamentary debate in February on a Greens proposal for follow-the-money laws of the kind the premier is now spruiking.This week Allan finally acknowledged, to her credit, that corruption watchdogs might need better tools to deal with the multibillion-dollar scandal at the heart of Labor’s Big Build. The acknowledgment came two years after The Age first published appalling revelations of misconduct on government worksites.In the universe most of us live in, serious questions remain. Above all, we must ask: if a government promises to have a committee report back on something after an election, is it actually a promise? We’ll report back on the answer to that once we’ve received advice, if we’re re-elected.Further review of the kind announced on Monday might be understandable if we hadn’t already seen a parliamentary inquiry last year which reported its findings in December. Yes, that inquiry recommended consultation, but given the gravity of the misconduct this masthead has exposed in the past two years, Labor’s response should be immediate action rather than “careful consideration”. Key proposed changes to IBAC powers and operationsFollow-the-money powers: This will allow IBAC to pursue the spending of public money through private and third-party contractors.Broader scope: Widen the definition of corrupt conduct, including potentially “serious disciplinary offences, conduct worthy of termination or behaviour that constitutes a serious breach of public trust”.Increased transparency: Empowering IBAC to make and publish formal findings of corrupt conduct and allowing it to table recommendations in parliament not just as part of a formal report.Digital searches: Changes to ensure IBAC’s investigations are not impeded by virtue of information or data being held on an off-site computer or in the cloud.Document destruction offence: A new offence would be created making it a criminal act to destroy or conceal documents or materials that are, or are likely to be, required in connection with an IBAC preliminary inquiry or investigation.The government is not being asked to design powers to pursue third-party contractors or more readily allow public hearings from scratch; such systems already operate effectively across the border in Queensland and NSW.NSW’s Independent Commission Against Corruption also uses a wider definition of corruption, going beyond Victoria’s threshold of conduct that would constitute a criminal offence. As our reporter Nick McKenzie has pointed out, “much of the grubby conduct, such as rampant bikie gang-linked Big Build nepotism, is corrupt and even unlawful but not necessarily criminal”.Following Allan’s IBAC-flip, Opposition Leader Jess Wilson was quick to point to the private member’s bill the Coalition tabled in March to beef up the watchdog’s powers, which the government voted against. She also promised a royal commission into the Big Build.But while the Coalition has backed increased use of public hearings and powers to follow the money, Wilson was still resisting calls for a lower threshold for corrupt conduct and broader jurisdiction on Tuesday morning, saying, “I think [criminal offence is] the right definition.”The opposition cannot credibly position itself as an anti-corruption champion in the coming election while maintaining support for the narrow definition that currently prevents IBAC from investigating misuse of taxpayer funds or complicity in misconduct.But Greens MP Tim Read, who chaired last year’s inquiry, is right to warn that when the government says it will “consider legislative options to broaden the definition”, that is no commitment at all.Every Victorian who has been paying attention knows the time for action by Allan was in mid-2024, when it was first revealed that gangland figures in alliance with the Labor-friendly CFMEU were feasting on the public funds made available to the Big Build.Since then, we have been subjected to one deflection or distraction after another, from the premier’s 2024 IBAC “referral” letter, to Transport Minister Gabrielle Williams’ 2025 “referral” to Victoria Police over $6 million in escalator repairs that were never carried out.Each of these manoeuvres spoke of a government determined to do the bare minimum to try to cauterise the scandal rather than establishing the necessary accountability.This state is in desperate need of leaders who acknowledge the failure to tackle corruption and offer solutions that are proportionate to the scale of the task. It does not need more political posturing.Now is the time for the Allan government to act decisively on the definition of corruption. On follow-the-money powers. On public hearings that give Victorians real insight into where their money is going.At a time when faith in our political establishment is at a historic low, and many are considering voting for parties of protest like One Nation, can the government or the opposition really afford to play parlour games while criminals and their friends feast on the Big Build? The Age thinks not. Not in this universe.Get a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up for our Opinion newsletter.From our partners