My process is not good enough, and that is why I've apologised
In the long tradition of public trust placed in elected representatives, a Victorian minister has been forced to reckon with the gap between good intentions and adequate judgment. Luba Grigorovitch, newly elevated to cabinet, has apologized for vouching — without any vetting process — for individuals later found to have committed serious offenses against women, including a taxi driver convicted of indecent assault. The incident, unfolding in Melbourne in June 2026, is less a story of malice than of institutional carelessness, and it arrives at a moment when both major parties are being asked what it truly means to stand behind another person's character.
- A minister who had written 33 character references since 2022 now regrets at least six of them, including one that helped a convicted sex offender mount a failed visa appeal.
- The absence of any vetting process in her parliamentary office means constituents — some of them perpetrators of violence against women — received the implicit endorsement of the state.
- Opposition calls for her dismissal are growing louder, with the shadow attorney general declaring the government lacks integrity for keeping her in cabinet.
- Grigorovitch has responded by drawing a hard line: she will write no further character references, describing her previous process as simply not good enough.
- The scandal is not isolated — a near-identical controversy consumed the Liberal Party earlier this year, suggesting a systemic failure of judgment that crosses party lines.
Luba Grigorovitch, a Victorian Labor minister appointed to cabinet only weeks ago, issued an apology Monday night after revealing that six of the roughly 33 character references she had written since 2022 went to people whose histories she had not known. The most serious case involves Muhammad Isa, a former taxi driver convicted in 2013 of indecently assaulting female passengers. Grigorovitch had attested to his character and integrity; the administrative review tribunal, rejecting his visa appeal in May, noted her ignorance of his past and cited his continuing lack of remorse as among the reasons for its decision.
A second reference was written in 2024 for a Pakistani citizen contesting a refused partner visa on the grounds of domestic violence offending. Grigorovitch declined to elaborate on the remaining four cases she regretted, citing privacy. Speaking outside parliament on Tuesday, she acknowledged that no vetting process had existed in her office, and announced she would never write another character reference.
The minister, a former state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, had already attracted scrutiny over her close association with former construction union leader John Setka — a friendship she acknowledged in her maiden speech and at her own wedding. Opposition shadow attorney general James Newbury called for her dismissal, while Greens leader Ellen Sandell noted she had written only one reference in twelve years as an MP. Fellow Labor minister Harriet Shing said she had never written one at all.
The episode mirrors a scandal that struck the Liberal Party earlier this year, when a preselection candidate was denied formal endorsement after writing a reference for a convicted sex offender. That both incidents have now surfaced within months of each other has prompted wider questions about whether any parliamentary safeguards exist to govern a practice that carries the weight of public office behind it.
Luba Grigorovitch, a newly promoted Victorian Labor minister, has apologized for writing character references for at least six people she now acknowledges she should never have vouched for. The admission came in a statement issued Monday night, in which the member for Koroit revealed that since taking office in late 2022, she had provided roughly 33 character references to constituents and community members. Six of those, she said, went to individuals whose histories she was unaware of at the time.
The most damaging case involves Muhammad Isa, a former taxi driver convicted of indecently assaulting female passengers in 2013. Grigorovitch had written that she had known Isa for several years and could confidently attest to his character, integrity, and contribution to Australian society. The administrative review tribunal, in rejecting his appeal against a visa revocation decision in May, noted that Grigorovitch had been unaware of his past offending when she wrote the reference. The tribunal cited his serious crimes, an implausible current narrative, and his continuing lack of insight and acceptance of responsibility as reasons for the rejection.
A second case involved a 38-year-old Pakistani citizen who challenged an immigration minister's decision to refuse him a partner visa on the grounds of past domestic violence offending. Grigorovitch wrote a character reference for him in 2024, according to reporting independently verified by The Guardian. She declined to detail the remaining four references she regretted, citing privacy concerns around the individuals involved.
Speaking outside parliament on Tuesday, Grigorovitch acknowledged that her office had no vetting process in place. She said she had known each person she provided references for because they were volunteers within the community, and that some may have been Labor members, though she was not aware of union affiliations. "My process is not good enough," she said, adding that she would never write another character reference. "Going forward, I will not be providing character references. Full stop."
Grigorovitch, a former state secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, was elevated to cabinet by Premier Jacinta Allan in April and given portfolios covering youth, carers, and volunteers. Her appointment had already drawn scrutiny over her past friendship with former construction union leader John Setka, whom she had worked with closely at the RBTU and thanked personally in her maiden speech in 2023. Setka attended her wedding that same year.
Opposition shadow attorney general James Newbury seized on the character reference revelations as further evidence that Grigorovitch was unfit for ministerial office. "If this government had any integrity, she would be sacked," he said. Greens leader Ellen Sandell, noting she had written only one character reference in 12 years as an MP and only for someone she knew personally, criticized the lack of judgment involved. Fellow Labor minister Harriet Shing told reporters she had never written a character reference, describing it as something she takes seriously.
The scandal echoes a controversy that engulfed the Liberal Party earlier this year, when political hopeful Dinesh Gourisetty won a preselection vote but was not formally endorsed after it emerged he had written a character reference for a convicted sex offender. That incident prompted the party to review its vetting processes. Grigorovitch's admission suggests the practice of MPs writing character references without adequate safeguards extends across party lines, raising broader questions about parliamentary judgment and accountability.
Citações Notáveis
At the time I provided these references, I was not aware of their history. I will no longer provide character references and I apologise for any offence I have caused.— Luba Grigorovitch, in her statement
If this government had any integrity, she would be sacked.— James Newbury, shadow attorney general
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why would a minister write character references for people she barely knew?
She said they were volunteers in her community looking to rebuild their lives—seeking jobs, housing, visa sponsorship. She thought she was helping constituents. But she had no system to check who they actually were.
And she didn't know about the taxi driver's assault convictions?
Not at the time she wrote the reference. The tribunal's decision made clear she was unaware of his history. But that's precisely the problem—she was vouching for someone's character without doing any real due diligence.
What made her finally admit this?
The Herald Sun reported on the taxi driver case. Once that was public, she couldn't deny it. She issued a statement acknowledging six references she regretted, though she's kept the details of four of them private.
Is this just a Labor problem?
No. The Liberals had their own scandal earlier this year with someone writing a reference for a sex offender. But what's striking is how casual the practice seems to be—no vetting, no real thought about consequences.
What happens to her now?
The opposition is calling for her dismissal. But the government hasn't moved against her. She's apologized and promised never to do it again. Whether that's enough depends on whether voters and her own party think her judgment is recoverable.