Victoria's freedom-of-information watchdog has resigned – only months after the Andrews government conducted an investigation into allegations raised against her office.
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FOI commissioner Lynne Bertolini notified the Governor on Friday that she would be stepping down from the role on September 5, less than three years after she was appointed to the position under the Coalition.
While the government has remained tight lipped about the reasons for her departure, The Sunday Age reported in June that her future was in doubt after Labor refused to guarantee her job, as part of a broader shake-up of her office.
Premier Daniel Andrews' department had quietly ordered an investigation into the FOI office after a complaint was raised regarding internal matters that the government has yet to disclose.
Ms Bertolini has not discussed the details of the inquiry, but in a statement released on Friday simply said it was time to move on to "new challenges" given the government's plans to overhaul her FOI office and create a new office of the public access counsellor.
"Being Victoria's inaugural FOI commissioner has been a rewarding experience and one that has made a difference to the lives of many Victorians," she said in a statement on Friday.
Ms Bertolini's departure makes her the latest in a growing line of senior public servants or board officials who have either resigned or been sacked since Labor won the state election in November.
She was appointed under the Baillieu government in a move the Coalition promised would "end the culture of secrecy" within state departments and give the public more access to information about the government.
But the office was branded a toothless tiger because it did not have the ability to review decisions by ministerial offices or department heads, and at one point was unable to meet its own review deadlines because of the volume of requests and a lack of staff.
In May, department boss Chris Eccles told a parliamentary committee that "sufficiently serious" allegations had been raised in relation to the FOI office, prompting the department to initiate a review.