维州新任总理本·卡罗尔的政府对负责管理信息自由和隐私事务的维州信息专员办公室（OVIC）进行了秘密预算削减，与其廉政承诺形成鲜明对比。[1]OVIC本财政年度预算为770万澳元，较上年度削减9.3%，较2022-23年下降24%。[1]这一削减规模将导致约十分之一的员工被裁。[1]卡罗尔上台时曾表示"在他的政府中廉政是不可协商的"，[1]但此举招致透明度专家和反对党的批评。
预算缩水与工作量激增形成尖锐矛盾。在过去四年间，OVIC员工从55人缩减至42人，[1]而自由信息投诉数量却近乎翻倍。[1]在2025-26年度，OVIC自由信息投诉同比增加35%，[1]平均处理时间为129天，较2023-24年增加近一个月。[1]截至2026年6月30日，OVIC仍有570起投诉积压。[1]透明国际澳大利亚首席执行官克兰西·摩尔表示："当廉政机构面临预算削减时，它会沉默那些应该发声的声音。"[1]
维州完整性和监督委员会已呼吁将OVIC的拨款权改由议会而非政府部门负责，以使其与IBAC和监察员办公室保持一致的独立地位。[1]
Victoria's newly appointed Premier Ben Carroll has faced criticism over budget cuts to the state's information commissioner's office, contradicting his stated commitment to integrity in government. The Office of the Victorian Information Commissioner (OVIC), which oversees freedom of information and privacy laws, has experienced a near 10 percent reduction in funding for the current financial year, resulting in the elimination of approximately one-tenth of its workforce.[1]
OVIC's budget for this financial year stands at AUD 7.7 million, representing a 9.3 percent decrease from the previous year and a 24 percent decline compared to 2022-23.[1] Over four years, the office's staff has contracted from 55 employees to 42, despite freedom of information complaints nearly doubling during the same period.[1] In 2025-26, such complaints increased by 35 percent compared to the previous year, with average processing times now extending to 129 days—nearly one month longer than in 2023-24.[1] As of June 30, 2026, OVIC held a backlog of 570 unresolved complaints.[1]
The funding reductions have drawn scrutiny from transparency advocates and opposition lawmakers. Upon taking office, Carroll pledged that "integrity is non-negotiable in his government."[1] The Victorian Integrity and Oversight Committee has called for OVIC to receive parliamentary funding rather than government departmental appropriations, similar to arrangements for the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) and the Ombudsman.[1] Clancy Moore, Chief Executive of Transparency International Australia, stated: "When integrity institutions face budget cuts, it silences voices that should be heard."[1]