The Premier’s Private Office, a publicly funded staff of nearly 90 people who oversee the day-to-day running of the state government, remains an “increasingly large, apparently completely unaccountable” layer of executive power in Victoria, former ombudsman Deborah Glass has warned.

Glass said that while the establishment of the Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission in 2024 by the Allan government had improved the state’s integrity arrangements, it had not filled the most serious gap exposed by past scandals.

Former ombudsman Deborah Glass Credit: Paul Jeffers

Glass also said flawed decision-making within the government’s secretive development of its plans for the Suburban Rail Loop was now “coming home to roost”, with the state’s interest bill of more than $20

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