The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is Victoria’s primary anti-corruption body, responsible for investigating serious corruption and police misconduct in the public sector. Whilst it is often associated with high-profile investigations, IBAC plays a broader and ongoing role in maintaining integrity, accountability and public confidence in government and regulatory decision-making. For clients interacting with councils, regulators and other public authorities, understanding IBAC’s role forms part of the wider legal and compliance landscape in which those interactions occur, and it is vital to understand Victoria’s public integrity and accountability system.
IBAC is Victoria’s primary anti-corruption watchdog, established under the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Act 2011 (Vic). It operates independently of government and reports directly to Parliament, and is subject to scrutiny by Integrity Oversight Victoria and its Parliamentary Committee. It is part of Victoria’s integrity system, which consists of three main independent agencies – IBAC, Ombudsman, and the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office. Other agencies supporting Victoria’s integrity system include the Local Government Inspectorate, the Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner, the Victorian Public Sector Commission, the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, and the Judicial Commission of Victoria. Integrity Oversight Victoria and Victorian Parliament oversee all three, in our collective aim to protect the integrity of Victoria’s public sector and its police.
However, IBAC’s function is more targeted. IBAC is not concerned with everyday complaints or administrative inefficiencies. Its focus is on serious corrupt conduct and significant police misconduct, particularly where there is an alleged misuse of public power. Its jurisdiction extends across a wide range of actors, including state and local government, police, parliament and the judiciary (for example, judges and the courts). In practice, that means it can engage with both high-level policy decisions and the day-to-day exercise of statutory power.
IBAC receives complaints from the public, referrals from other agencies, and can also initiate its own investigations. However, it does not investigate everything that comes before it; there is a significant filtering process. IBAC can also decide to initiate an investigation into something within its jurisdiction at any time, called ‘own motion’ investigations. Such areas IBAC can investigate are matters where Victorian public sector officers or bodies take or offer bribes, dishonestly use their influence, commit fraud, theft or embezzlement, misuse work information or material, or conspire or attempt to do any of the above.
Where IBAC does investigate, it has access to coercive powers that distinguish it from most other bodies. It can compel the production of documents, require witnesses to answer questions, search and enter premises, use surveillance devices, and more, in some instances only being operational upon application to the court. In some cases, it can conduct public hearings, although these are more limited than in some other jurisdictions. These powers place IBAC closer to an investigative commission than a standard regulator.
Its relevance has only grown in the current environment. There is increasing public and political scrutiny around government decision-making, the use of public funds, planning and development processes, and the conduct of public officials. At the same time, IBAC’s limitations have become more apparent — particularly its inability to properly “follow the money.” As it stands, IBAC does not have sufficient powers to investigate how public funds are used once they move into the hands of third parties. This has been especially significant in the context of Victoria’s major infrastructure projects, where recently, serious allegations of misconduct have emerged yet IBAC has been unable to investigate the full picture due to jurisdictional constraints. In response, there have been growing calls for reform, including efforts to introduce legislation such as the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Amendment (Follow the Money) Bill 2026,[1] aimed at expanding IBAC’s powers to better trace and oversee the use of public funds.
At Warlows Legal, we regularly work with clients navigating interactions with councils, regulators and public decision-makers. Understanding how bodies like IBAC operate is an important part of that process, ensuring those interactions are approached with clarity, compliance and confidence.
[1] Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission Amendment (Follow the Money) Bill 2026
