Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants – Victorian Government Response and annual reporting

Progress reports

Victorian Government Response and Implementation Plan

The Victorian Government established the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants (the Commission) on 3 December 2018 to independently inquire into matters that go to the heart of Victoria’s criminal justice system.

The Commission delivered its final report on 30 November 2020.

The Government is committed to the implementation of all the Commission’s recommendations

The Commission made 111 recommendations, with 54 directed to the Victorian Government and 41 to Victoria Police. Recommendations are also directed towards the Director of Public Prosecutions, Victorian Bar Council, Public Interest Monitor, the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), Law Institute of Victoria, Law Council of Australia, Legal Services Council, and Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner.

The Government is committed to implementing each of the 54 recommendations directed to the Victorian Government and has already made significant progress on a number of them, including appointing an independent Implementation Monitor, Sir David Carruthers to oversee the implementation of recommendations and ensure accountability.

The Government Response and Implementation Plan discusses the Commission’s key findings and Government’s approach to implementation. It focuses on the actions that have, and will be taken, to implement the recommendations directed to Government in accordance with the Commission’s proposed timeframes and intended outcomes.

The Government response also incorporates the response to Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Committee’s Inquiry into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria.

The Commission emphasised the need for all stakeholders to work together to achieve a purposeful implementation. The Government is committed to a collaborative implementation with all stakeholders to ensure the Commission’s objectives are met and the circumstances that gave rise to the Commission can never happen again.

The Government will conduct a systemic review of the police oversight system

The Commission’s recommendations build on the findings of the Victorian IBAC Parliamentary Committee’s Inquiry into the external oversight of police corruption and misconduct in Victoria. The Commission set a clear pathway for a systemic review of the police oversight system. Government is committed to learning from the work of the IBAC Committee and the Commission to ensure Victoria has a police oversight system that is robust, transparent and effective in meeting the needs of Victoria’s diverse communities, with a framework that maintains the highest standards of integrity within the police force. The Government’s approach to this review is set out in the Response.

Full response