An anti-corruption investigation in the Australian state of Victoria has claimed its first scalp with Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers Luke Donnellan, resigning hours into the first day of public hearings where he was accused of “branch stacking.” Victoria’s Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) is conducting a broad investigation into “serious corrupt conduct” and the misuse of public money for “party-political work or other improper purposes.” One issue under the spotlight is branch stacking. Australian political parties choose representatives to stand for office via a preselection system that relies on members in each electoral branch voting for their preferred candidate. Practitioners of branch stacking will recruit and sign-up members to influence the outcome of preselecting candidates. While not illegal, the practice is banned under Australian Labor Party (ALP) rules. Federal Labor Member of Parliament Anthony Byrne, the first witness to testify on Oct. 11, gave a damning indictment of the …