Report parliamentary misconduct

The Parliamentary Workplace Standards and Integrity Commission (the Commission) is an independent and impartial body. This means we treat everyone fairly and with respect, whether they are reporting misconduct, or the subject of a report.

We handle allegations of parliamentary misconduct by Victorian Members of Parliament (MPs), including ministers and parliamentary secretaries.

You can only report conduct that occurred on or after 31 December 2024.

Get support

If you have witnessed or experienced misconduct or have had a report made against you, there are support services that you can access. Please visit our Resources and support page for details.

Who can report misconduct

Anyone can report parliamentary misconduct that occurred on or after 31 December 2024.

Reports can be made anonymously. However, this may limit our ability to consider the matter.

How to report misconduct

To report misconduct, complete the secure online report form.

• You must provide details of the alleged conduct.
• Information will remain confidential and will only be shared as required by law.
• People who report anonymously can stay in touch via encrypted messaging for updates.

Consider including the following information in your report:

• the date/s and time/s of the misconduct
• a detailed description of the misconduct
• who engaged in the misconduct
• who may have witnessed the misconduct
• any supporting documentary evidence (such as emails, text messages, file notes, images, etc.)
• the outcome you are seeking
• any steps taken to resolve or address the matter.

Refer to our Privacy policy for more information.

Find alternative contact methods on our contact page.

How long it takes to make a report

The time required to make a report depends on how much information you provide. If you have the information you want to share ready to go, it can take as little as 5 minutes.

When we receive a report of alleged parliamentary misconduct, we carefully assess the information provided to determine the appropriate course of action.

We aim to resolve matters swiftly and with minimal formality, if possible.

We will:

1. Conduct an initial assessment

We assess the report to ensure we have sufficient information.

If more information is needed, we may contact you (if you have provided your details).

We will contact every person who reports misconduct to acknowledge your submission and discuss next steps with you (if a method of contact is provided).

2. Decide on next steps

Based on our assessment, we might take the following steps to resolve your matter:

• undertake dispute resolution
• conduct an investigation
• redirect, dismiss or defer handling your matter

Redirection, dismissal or deferral

Redirecting matters

If we think another organisation or person is better placed to handle the matter, we may choose to redirect it.

We can redirect matters to:

• an integrity body such as the Victorian Ombudsman or the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC)
• a law enforcement agency such as Victoria Police
• a prosecutorial body
• the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
• a coroner
• a privileges committee
• the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly or the President of the Legislative Council
• a person or body specified in Schedule 3 to the Ombudsman Act 1973 (Vic)
• a prescribed person or body.
• other agencies or people with the relevant public or official function.

Dismissing matters

We will seek all relevant information from you before we dismiss your matter.

For information on what we must dismiss and what we can choose to dismiss, see parliamentary misconduct.

We will let you know in writing if we have decided to dismiss your matter, and we will explain the reason for our decision.

Deferring matters

We can delay dealing with your report of parliamentary misconduct if the issue you have raised is being investigated by another agency. We can only defer your complaint for a reasonable period.

We must let you know if we decide to defer your referral.

How long we take to deal with reports

We aim to handle reports promptly, and we are required to act as quickly and with as little formality as possible.

Can I withdraw my report?

Yes, you can withdraw your report any time before the Commission does any of the following:

• dismisses or redirects the report
• prepares an outcome report
• prepares an investigative report.