Victorian Opposition Leader Matthew Guy has accused government MPs of stealing $388,000 from parliament to win the 2014 state election and called for their sacking.

A state ombudsman report on Wednesday revealed that 21 past and present Labor MPs unknowingly misused public money in breach of parliamentary guidelines by diverting electorate officers for campaigning.

Mr Guy said Labor had "cheated" its way into government and people should lose their jobs.

"If you take money from your employer, you usually lose your job," Mr Guy told reporters.

He would not say if he thought the election would have swung the other way if the so-called 'red-shirt campaigners' weren't publicly paid, but pointed to earlier comments by Premier Daniel Andrews crediting them with the win.

On Wednesday, Mr Andrews said the money had been repaid in full and refused to stand down over the scandal.

"I am sorry this has occurred, and really the most important thing here is to ensure that we prove that we are sincere in that apology," the premier said.

There was no need for the sitting MPs and ministers named in the report to quit, he added.

"The ombudsman has made it very clear that everyone involved in this acted with the not unreasonable assumption ... in good faith, deriving no personal benefit," he told reporters.

Ombudsman Deborah Glass' damning report named 21 Labor MPs, some since retired, who breached parliamentary guidelines to partially fund the party's Community Action Network, or "red shirts" brigade, campaigning in marginal seats.

"Parliament's members' guide prohibits parliamentary funds being used for campaigning," Ms Glass told reporters.

"The arrangement to employ field organisers as electorate officers was an artifice to secure partial payment for the campaign out of public funds and it was wrong."

Among the MPs named by the ombudsman are Attorney-General Martin Pakula, Energy Minister Lily D'Ambrosio, Families Minister Jenny Mikakos and Special Minister of State Gavin Jennings.

The premier added that Labor will not use the same electioneering tactics at the November state election.

The upper house asked Ms Glass to investigate whether Labor breached the rules after reports emerged of the funds misuse.

But the move sparked a legal battle through the Supreme Appeal and High courts at a cost of $1 million to taxpayers, after Mr Jennings told Ms Galls the matter was not in her jurisdiction.

The move would not "pass the pub test" among voters, an internal report previously found.

© AAP 2018