There are questions still to be answered after the close of the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission hearings into the misappropriation of millions of education funds.
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Why weren't any former ministers or department secretaries called to give evidence?
Considering the extent of the corruption revealed it was surprising that no former education ministers of Education Department secretaries were called to disclose what they knew and what action they took.
Will any of the plundered money be returned to schools or the Education Department?
The $2.5 million in public funds involved in potentially corrupt transactions would go a long way in state schools. It remains unclear whether schools will recoup any of the money that was misspent or whether assets will be seized from officials who were found to be corrupt.
How will schools be audited?
State schools currently undergo independent financial audits once every four years but some schools are audited annually. The independent financial audits are done by external firms although the department also has an internal audit unit. The department will overhaul its financial controls and scrutinise school data more closely.
What's next for the department officials caught doing the wrong thing?
The commission has the power to charge individuals and laid more than 100 charges over a scam in the Department of Transport and Public Transport Victoria. IBAC's investigation into the Education Department is ongoing so it remains to be seen what action it will take against departmental employees.
Will failed IT system Ultranet be investigated by IBAC?
The rorted $2.5 million identified by IBAC is minuscule compared with the cost of the botched $180 million Ultranet computer system, which was supposed to revolutionise school life. Teachers and principals have puzzled over how that much money was spent on a project that has now been abandoned. The education community is now hoping IBAC can provide some answers on the Ultranet and it's understood the commission will also probe that project.
