Special reports

The Victorian Ombudsman and IBAC tabled Operation Watts progress report in parliament on 14 September 2023.

Operation Watts was the first joint investigation conducted by IBAC and the Victorian Ombudsman. It scrutinised how branch stacking in the Victorian branch of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) resulted in the alleged misuse of public funds for party political purposes, and subversion of parliamentary standards and processes. The investigation report was tabled in the Parliament in July 2022.

The report sets out the steps taken by the state government in addressing the recommendations raised by IBAC and the Ombudsman in their Operation Watts investigation report. Many of the integrity risks exposed by Operation Watts require timely treatments and careful consideration given to the intent of the recommendations.