Governments starve watchdogs of funding as the war on accountability rages on

It’s the ultimate conflict of interest: governments accused of corruption in Australia can stop funding the very organisations tasked with investigating said corruption.

Such is the funding model for integrity bodies across the country. And it’s a conflict our governments appear to have no problem abusing.

Take Victoria. The ombudsman Deborah Glass has accused the Andrews government of not providing enough funding for the integrity watchdog to perform its core duties -- something she says could be perceived to be undermining the agency.