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Premier Jacinta Allan last month.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Wayne Taylor<\/cite><\/p>\n The code is not retrospective and will be enforced by the premier of the day. Premier Jacinta Allan did not specify which consequences could be doled out for breaches or who would be responsible for enforcement if a premier is involved in an alleged breach.<\/p>\n \u201cThe updated code of conduct will hold ministers and parliamentary secretaries to the highest standards \u2013 that\u2019s what all Victorians expect and deserve,\u201d Allan said.<\/p>\n Queensland, NSW and the ACT already require ministers to publish their diaries.<\/p>\n The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) in October last year recommended ministerial and staff diaries be made public in a special report on corruption risks associated with donations and lobbying.<\/p>\n While ministers and parliamentary secretaries will need to detail the \u201cscheduled\u201d meetings, stakeholders, organisations and third-party lobbyists each quarter, their staff will not face the same obligations. It is unclear what meets the definition of a scheduled meeting.<\/p>\n Recommendations from IBAC\u2019s Operation Daintree investigation, and its joint Operation Watts investigation with the Victorian Ombudsman, were also addressed by the announcement.<\/p>\n The watchdogs in September accused the government of being slow to act on the recommendations in Operation Watts, which found \u201crampant nepotism, forging [of] signatures, and attempts to interfere with government grants to favour factionally aligned community organisations\u201d.<\/p>\n Those allegations were first reported by The Age <\/em>in June 2020.<\/p>\n Operation Daintree \u2013 the existence of which The Age<\/em> revealed last November \u2013 did not make any findings of corrupt conduct, but said there had been a \u201csignificant erosion\u201d of ministerial accountability. It found the Health Workers Union was given privileged access and favourable treatment, resulting in the awarding of a contract that was not in the public interest.<\/p>\n The Centre for Public Integrity and the Greens have called for ministerial diaries to be made public for over a year, and criticised the government as a laggard on the transparency measure.<\/p>\n Greens integrity spokesman Tim Read welcomed the decision, but said Victoria could go further.<\/p>\n \u201cLabor really shouldn\u2019t have to be forced by IBAC and the Greens to introduce these long-overdue reforms when there is so much more to do on raising integrity standards,\u201d Read said.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestigation after investigation has shown that our state\u2019s political integrity standards are lacking, and misconduct is rife.\u201d<\/p>\n Consultation for a new Parliamentary Integrity Commission to investigate allegations of misconduct by MPs, ministers and parliamentary secretaries is also underway. A Parliamentary Ethics Committee has also been proposed.<\/p>\n Our Breaking News Alert will notify you of significant breaking news when it happens.<\/i> Get it here<\/i>.<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n