Corruption hunter wants more resources to tackle government contractors

Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC) chief Michael Corboy has called for increased resources to better tackle allegations of corruption against government contractors. Currently, the agency's jurisdiction is limited to public servants, leaving it unable to investigate potential misuse of data by private contractors working with the government.

Corboy also noted that the CCC would struggle to investigate allegations of infiltration by organized crime into NDIS service providers that contract with both Commonwealth and state agencies, as well as the CFMEU's involvement in government projects, which have been estimated to cost Victorian taxpayers around $15 billion. The rollout of artificial intelligence across the public sector is expected to pose significant challenges for the CCC in the coming years, both in terms of efficiency and the potential risks involved.

Corboy emphasized the need for more funding to enable the commission to conduct proactive investigations, produce more reports, and engage more extensively within the public sector, including reviewing complaints directly rather than sending them back to government agencies for investigation.