The Andrews Labor Government has refused to disclose how much former Labor Premier John Brumby is being paid to head up a new Government owned company that will administer more than $2 billion dollars of funds.

Last year, the Andrews Labor Government announced that former Labor Premier John Brumby had been appointed to Chair the Government owned Breakthrough Victoria Fund, which is charged with allocating funds to research and innovation projects.

Under repeated questioning in Public Accounts and Estimates Committee (PAEC) hearings, Minister Pulford refused to answer questions about how Mr Brumby had been appointed to this role or disclose what salary he was receiving to undertake this job. Instead, the Labor Minister insisted only the Department of Premier and Cabinet could answer questions relating to the Breakthrough Fund.

Mr Brumby has also been appointed by the Labor Government as Chair of the State’s International Education Advisory Council and Chair of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre Trust.

Shadow Minister for Innovation and Medical Research, Bridget Vallence said Victorians have a right to know how these former Labor politicians were getting these cushy government jobs and what they were being paid by the taxpayer.

“Daniel Andrews and his Labor Government have a long track record of appointing former Labor politicians and advisers to cushy overpaid government jobs and stacking the public service with Labor mates.”

“Victorians deserve transparency and accountability over how these former Labor politicians and advisers keep getting these jobs.”

“This smells a lot like ‘jobs for mates’ with no transparency or accountability.”

“The Minister wouldn’t even say if there had been a competitive selection process open to members of the public undertaken before Mr Brumby was appointed, or how the $2 billion in taxpayer’s money in the Breakthrough Fund is actually being spent.”