Allan government under pressure amid latest Big Build corruption allegations

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has backed her government's response to serious corruption allegations in the state's construction industry, despite ongoing criticism from across the political divide.

"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," Ms Allan said.

Ms Allan said that if there was any veracity to the allegations aired, they should be taken directly to the relevant authorities.

The comments followed fresh allegations published in The Age today, claiming that Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) officials had appointed criminals to major roles within Big Build firms.

Ms Allan said the government had worked to strengthen the powers of Victoria Police and the Labour Hire Authority in response to corruption allegations.

She said that Victoria Police's Taskforce Hawk, designed to target criminal behaviour in the construction industry, had so far laid 93 charges.

Ms Allan said 164 licences had also been cancelled by the Labour Hire Authority since its powers had been strengthened.

The premier again rejected calls for a royal commission into the alleged corruption, saying previous iterations had not solved the issue and had instead targeted workers.

"Calls for a royal commission is not taking immediate action," Ms Allan said.

Coalition and Greens call for further measures

Victoria's Big Build has seen hundreds of infrastructure projects launched across the state since 2015, and has faced major cost blowouts.

An interim report tendered to Queensland's Commission of Inquiry into the CFMEU earlier this year estimated the actions of the CFMEU had cost the Victorian taxpayer around $15 billion.

But today, Ms Allan blamed inflationary pressures and the COVID-19 pandemic as reasons for cost blowouts on major infrastructure projects in Victoria.

Deputy federal Liberal leader Jane Hume said a pause should be put on major infrastructure funding until corruption had been addressed on Big Build sites.

"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," Senator Hume told ABC Radio National.

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

Ms Allan rejected Ms Hume's calls, saying a pause would cripple infrastructure projects and put many workers out of a job.

The Victorian Greens have also called for further action, pushing for laws to immediately strengthen the state's anti-corruption watchdog.

"Labor has spent more energy protecting itself from this scandal than protecting Victorians from the corruption that caused it," Greens leader Ellen Sandell said.

"If Jacinta Allan's Labor government really had zero tolerance for corruption, they would strengthen IBAC today instead of promising another review after the election," she said, referring to the state's anti-corruption commission.

Former ombudsman criticises response to corruption claims

Former Victorian ombudsman Deborah Glass said the response to corruption allegations had come far too slowly.

"I think it's already too late," she said.

"This should have begun years ago. This was an investigation that needed to happen when these pretty shocking matters were first exposed," Ms Glass told 774 ABC Melbourne radio.

"What we've seen in the past few years is some pretty powerful evidence of that money being used to line the pockets of organised crime, underworld figures."

Ms Glass served as the state's ombudsman from 2014 to 2024, but left the role before the allegations were first reported.

She said her own experiences while serving as ombudsman had indicated a culture where political goals trumped concerns about conduct.

"I did see, when I last investigated major infrastructure, a kind of attitude that the ends justified the means — dodgy business cases around the Suburban Rail Loop for example," Ms Glass said.

"The end is political survival, the end is being able to don your hard hat, high-vis vest and say, 'Look what the government is building.'

Ms Glass was also critical of the premier's public response in the wake of the corruption allegations.

"All I can judge, because I wasn't in the role at the time, is what [Jacinta Allan] has done about it," she said.

Ms Glass referred to the premier's office conceding earlier this year that its request for IBAC to investigate alleged corruption by the CFMEU had been rejected in 2024.

"IBAC at the time said we can't deal with this because we don't have follow-the-money powers," Ms Glass said.

"[Ms Allan is] publicly saying — after she's claimed that she's referred the matter to IBAC — that IBAC is dealing with it … that just shows a contempt for the integrity process."