Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on a matter of urgency submitted to this place by a parliamentary colleague from New South Wales, Senator Burston. In the wake of the saddening revelations of ball tampering by members of the Australian cricket team, Senator Burston wants this place to consider 'the need to understand why some politicians and professional sportsmen feel the need to cheat'. Now, whether intentionally or not, Senator Burston's timing is impeccable, because only last week the Victorian Ombudsman, Ms Deborah Glass OBE, handed down her report into the egregious practices of 21 separate members of the Victorian state parliament from the Australian Labor Party. There is no other word for it.

As the Ombudsman has made perfectly clear, the Andrews Labor government cheated its way to electoral victory in 2014. By using taxpayer funds that are ordinarily used for expenditure on the electorate, 21 state MPs were able to fund an army of campaign coordinators called the red shirts. This is deception of the very highest order. It was a scheme devised by the Labor leadership. It was endorsed by the Labor campaign team. It was signed off by Premier Daniel Andrews. More than 1,100 days of work was ascribed. Nearly $400,000 worth of taxpayer money was used. It was specifically designed to use taxpayer funds to subvert the democratic process. Quite frankly, it makes ball tampering look like amateur hour.

So let us be clear about exactly who we are talking about. Who is responsible for this rort? Who are the 21 state and Labor MPs involved? Well, I can show you exactly who they are, because they've been named and shamed in the Herald Sun.