Victorian Premier Defends Government Amid Big Build Corruption Claims

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan is defending her government's handling of serious corruption allegations plaguing the state's massive Big Build infrastructure program. Despite mounting criticism from political opponents, Allan insists that any evidence of criminal behavior, including corruption and extortion, should be immediately reported to Victoria Police.

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After all this time, if there is any evidence of any allegation of criminal behaviour that includes corruption and extortion, I don't understand why that wouldn't immediately be handed to Victoria Police.

Recent allegations published in The Age newspaper claim that officials from the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) appointed individuals with criminal records to significant positions within Big Build companies. This comes after the CFMEU itself was placed into administration in August 2024 amid widespread corruption claims. The union's alleged involvement has cast a shadow over the integrity of the state's ambitious construction projects.

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Calls for a royal commission is not taking immediate action.

Premier Allan has pushed back against calls for a royal commission into the alleged corruption. She argues that such inquiries have historically failed to resolve the issues and have instead unfairly targeted workers. Instead, Allan points to the government's efforts to bolster the capabilities of Victoria Police and the Labour Hire Authority. She highlighted that Victoria Police's Taskforce Hawk has charged 93 individuals, and the Labour Hire Authority has revoked 164 licenses since its powers were enhanced.

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Knowing full well that there was corruption on these Big Build sites, [the Allan government have] given an additional … $3.8 billion to the Suburban Rail Loop, one of the locations where this corruption was occurring.

However, the government faces continued pressure. Deputy federal Liberal leader Jane Hume urged a halt to major infrastructure funding until corruption concerns are addressed, particularly noting additional funding for the Suburban Rail Loop, a project identified with corruption issues. Allan countered that pausing projects would cripple the state's infrastructure development and lead to significant job losses. She attributed cost overruns on major projects to inflationary pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic, rather than alleged corruption.

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I do believe you need to remove the corrupt elements before you can continue to give taxpayer money to these projects.