An investigation into alleged corruption has revealed that staff members in the Daniel Andrews’ government pressured health officials to award a $1.2 million contract to a health union. The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission conducted the Operation Daintree report, which found that a ministerial advisor in the then-health minister’s office, Jill Hennessy, pushed the Department of Health and Human Services to grant the contract to the Health Workers Union. The investigation also found that the advisors in the offices of subsequent health ministers, Jenny Mikakos and Premier Daniel Andrews, meddled in the department’s handling of the contract, going against the public interest. Though there was no evidence of corrupt behavior, the inquiry exposed misconduct and violations of ethical obligations and public duties. The senior public servants also fell short of the required Victorian standards. The report called out the advisers for pushing their ministers’ interests, including the premier’s, at the expense of proper process and standards. The investigation also found evidence of power abuse and influence peddling by ministerial advisors and departmental executives. Despite the health department’s doubts, a non-competitive process moved forward with the Health Education Fund entity, and the government staff dissuaded the health department from terminating the contract. As a result, the procurement process’s integrity and fairness were bypassed, and the government’s conflict of interest was not correctly managed. The inquiry found that all ministers and their advisors were under clear direction that they must deliver on the election commitments. Mikakos, as the Health Minister, was accountable for her office’s conduct that undermined her department’s proper functioning at the premier’s private office’s behest. While she defended her adviser, the inquiry found her view conflicted with the evidence she presented, suggesting that her staff would be reluctant to share their concerns given the time pressures they were under, compounded by the pandemic.