As Victorians head to the polls this Saturday they’re deciding much more than who controls the state’s finances for the next four years.

They’ll be charting the immediate course of integrity, honesty, and trust in public administration in Australia’s second most populous state. (One in four Australians live in Victoria.) Voters should pause and consider what this means.

Amongst the storm of puerile political messaging thrown at voters in the last three weeks (from both sides) – sparing a thought for integrity in government might sound a bit lofty for mum and dad voters in the inner west, north, south, or outer...