Our service charter

This is what you can expect when you make a complaint to us.

IBAC will be

  • focussed on exposing and preventing public sector corruption and police misconduct
  • independent, fair and free of cost
  • sensitive and responsive to the circumstances and needs of people who make a complaint.

We demonstrate at all times our values of fairness, professionalism, courage, respect and trust.

  • IBAC focuses on serious and systemic corruption in the public sector and police misconduct.

    We can take complaints about suspected corrupt conduct by people who provide public services or duties, including state and local government public officers and employees, and  people who seek to corrupt them.

    This conduct may include:

    • taking or offering bribes
    • dishonestly using influence
    • fraud, theft or embezzlement (misuse of funds)
    • misusing information or material acquired at work
    • not acting in the public interest, acting for personal benefit
    • conspiring or attempting to engage in the above corrupt activity.

    We take complaints about misconduct by Victoria Police officers including:

    • unauthorised access, use and disclosure of information held by Victoria Police
    • drink driving or traffic offences
    • using, selling or dealing drugs
    • theft, accepting bribes
    • not declaring or managing conflicts of interest
    • not declaring associations incompatible with their role or that may give rise to a reasonable perception they’re not upholding their obligations or reputation as a Victoria Police employee
    • unauthorised secondary employment
    • misuse of police resources
    • stalking, family violence, assault, sexual misconduct and sexual assault
    • discrimination or prejudice based on race, religion, disability, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, or other characteristics
    • breaches of human rights
    • excessive use of force
    • duty failure, such as failure to take appropriate action, follow Victoria Police policies, provide adequate care or report misconduct or corruption
    • distributing offensive material
    • misrepresentation on log books, time sheets or registers.

    We don’t investigate:

    • service issues such as administrative errors or slow response times
    • minor duty failures or service issues by Victoria Police (eg officers not wearing the appropriate uniform)
    • outcomes of traffic or court decisions
    • matters where IBAC considers that another person or body is more appropriate to investigate.
  • When you make a complaint, we will:

    • assess your complaint as quickly as possible (see below for how long this usually takes)
    • check whether your complaint qualifies for Public Interest Disclosure protections, and tell you if it does
    • check every complaint we receive for breaches of human rights
    • tell you about the outcome of your complaint, where permitted. We may also inform the organisation(s) involved, so they can improve their systems to prevent misconduct and corruption
    • tell you if we do not intend to take action on your complaint and let you know if we think there are other options you may pursue
    • deal with you and your complaint in a respectful, professional manner
    • provide tailored support for people experiencing vulnerability, members of diverse communities or those with other additional needs. Support may include providing translation services or providing material in a variety of accessible formats and languages. We can also put you in touch with support agencies for help with your complaint.
    • acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 business days
    • deal with the majority of standard complaints within 45 days
    • deal with more complex complaints within 90 days
    • work to complete standard investigations within 9 months, and complex investigations within 18 months.
    • checking first if your complaint is something we can investigate (go to the What can you report? section of our website for more information)
    • providing your contact details. You can make an anonymous complaint, however, this means that we will not be able to tell you about the outcome of your complaint, or contact you for further information that may help us deal with your complaint
    • providing a summary of your complaint, including specific dates, events and names of those involved and a short explanation of the allegations you wish to make
    • giving us specific information that supports your complaint, and if you’re providing lengthy or a large number of documents or other materials, how this is relevant
    • letting us know the outcome you want
    • treating us with the same respect we provide to you.
  • We monitor our performance against these standards and welcome your feedback about how we may improve the way we work. Contact us to let us know how we can support you better.

    Information about our performance is published in our annual reports.

    IBAC reports on its performance to the Victorian Parliament and the parliamentary Integrity and Oversight Committee.