An opposition no-confidence motion against the Victorian government into Labor's rorts-for-votes scandal has been defeated in state parliament after hours of debate.
Opposition Leader Matthew Guy moved the motion over the misuse of $388,000 of taxpayer money to partially fund Labor campaign staff during the 2014 election.
But the motion was ultimately lost in a 49 to 33 vote on Tuesday night.
"This government is corrupt, they rorted taxpayers money, they tried to cover it up," Mr Guy told the Legislative Assembly earlier on Tuesday.
He listed the series of rorts Labor MPs had been caught out on since coming to power - the misuse of second residence allowances, chauffeuring of dogs in ministerial cars and suspected branch stacking through printing invoices.
"When you've been in office for 15 of 19 years, you become a born-to-rule, corrupt government in the parliament," Mr Guy said.
"Who believe they're entitled to government, who believe that the taxpayers' material is in fact theirs and they can extort and rort as they see fit."
Mr Guy spoke for more than an hour, saying Labor can't manage money, "they steal it", and labelling Premier Daniel Andrews a "bully".
But Deputy Premier James Merlino hit back, calling the motion "desperate" and suggesting the Victorian Liberals could be facing a leadership spill like their federal colleagues did on Tuesday.
"This is an opposition leader searching for a distraction, so in need of a diversion," Mr Merlino said.
"This is classic misdirection and a waste of time."
Greens MP Ellen Sandell told the chamber she and her two colleagues would not be supporting the motion, taking a swipe at both major parties for being self-interested and for not backing calls for a parliamentary integrity commissioner.
National MP Tim Bull told the chamber the motion had been in play against the government as "they are crafty and they tried to deceive others".
Labor is currently being investigated by the police fraud squad over its rorts-for-votes scandal.
That investigation comes after Ombudsman Deborah Glass' March report into the scandal, which described the scheme as an "artifice", but also concluded MPs involved did not deliberately deceive.
The opposition puts a $500,000 price tag on all of the money Labor has been caught misusing.
In a counter-attack, the government has referred the Liberal-Nationals to Ms Glass for investigation over alleged potential knowledge or inappropriate involvement with embezzler and former Liberal director Damien Mantach.
Labor has also referred 18 current and former Liberal and National MPs to police, alleging they also misused electorate staff at the last election.
Meanwhile, with only three sitting weeks left before the November election, an anti-Labor billboard truck circled parliament, driven by Liberal David Southwick.
Mr Southwick has been suspended without pay after a heated question time last sitting week and he intends to spend it campaigning in Mr Andrews' and marginal seats.
Australian Associated Press
