Jacinta Allan admits criminals infiltrated Big Build but rejects calls for royal commission | Victoria

Jacinta Allan admitted criminals infiltrated some of Victoria’s biggest construction projects but again rejected growing calls for a royal commission into alleged corruption involving unions and labor hire companies.

In an opinion article published in the age On Thursday night the prime minister wrote that “we now know criminals have been operating at some Victorian construction sites” during what the Labor government calls Big Build projects.

“There was violence, intimidation and organized criminal behavior. This is shocking and unacceptable. It should never have happened,” Allan said.

“It doesn’t represent the overwhelming majority of decent, dedicated, proud union workers on these projects. But it happened anyway. I accept that.”

“I’m very sorry that this is happening on Victorian-funded projects. The question now is how do we prevent it from happening again?”

But Allan wrote that a royal commission into the rorts, including Geoffrey Watson SC and former Victorian ombudsman Deborah Glass, appointed by the CFMEU executive to investigate allegations of corruption and crime within the union, would not resolve the problem despite repeated calls.

“Australia has held a royal commission into unions over the last decade,” Allan wrote. “It cost $46 million, went after workers, got only one criminal conviction, and didn’t change the culture.

“If the aim is another report, another royal commission will deliver a report. If the aim is to change behavior on worksites, the answer is to change the culture.”

His article was later published allegations Money from Big Build was said to have been paid to gang figures and the government had been warned of cost increases due to CFMEU demands.

Allan, who admitted that there was a crime in his column, did not mention the allegations. age this week — during his time as transportation infrastructure minister.

State government officials reportedly told a railway consortium that the then minister wanted it to strike an agreement with the CFMEU on the level crossing removal project. This reportedly resulted in the union forcing its preferred labor hire company to travel to the level crossing removal site.

It was further alleged that ministerial pressure was being applied from Allan’s office in a 2022 dispute between the CFMEU and a rail infrastructure partnership involving major contractors and government agencies.

In his article, Allan said it was best for police to investigate any allegations of misconduct.

“We have given Victoria Police stronger powers to investigate this criminal behaviour. They have now laid over 90 criminal charges,” he wrote.

“We gave the Labor Hiring Agency stronger powers to cancel building permits. The agency did this for 164 firms. The CFMEU was put into administration and I kicked them out of Victoria Labor.”

“Construction companies working on government projects are now required to report suspected criminal behavior, workers have stronger whistleblower protections, and government agencies share intelligence with the federal government so nothing gets out of the way.”

State opposition leader Jess Wilson also wrote in an Age opinion piece published on Thursday night that a royal commission was needed to reveal “how $15 billion of Victorians’ money was stolen” and “to ensure this never happens again”.

“The Grand Establishment of the Labor Party has become a hunting ground for organized crime, rogues and corrupt union bosses.” he wrote.