Inquiry into Big Build infrastructure projects tables cabinet-in-confidence briefings showing then-minister was alerted to possible organised crime and union misconduct on taxpayer-funded sites.
Victoria’s royal commission into the integrity of major public infrastructure projects has opened with the release of confidential 2023 documents showing that Jacinta Allan, then the state’s transport infrastructure minister, was formally warned about alleged criminal activity and serious misconduct linked to the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) on the government’s Big Build programme.
At the first public hearing on Wednesday in Melbourne, counsel assisting the commission, Chris Young KC, tendered cabinet-in-confidence briefings dated 21 June 2023. The documents, prepared by senior public servants from the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority and the transport department, raised concerns that a “lawless” industrial environment on Big Build sites was driving up costs, delaying projects and allowing potential criminal elements-including outlaw motorcycle club members and convicted criminals-onto taxpayer-funded worksites.
One briefing addressed to Allan noted that she had already been separately informed of proposed actions, including referral of matters to Victoria Police. A related three-page ministerial briefing, signed by Allan the following day, recorded anecdotal evidence of criminal involvement. It specifically mentioned the presence of a former Mongols motorcycle club member, known Bandidos members, and “known ex-criminals,” some of whom were said to be wearing ankle bracelets. The document also referred to an incident in which a person was shot with a bolt gun off-site in a work context.
Royal Commission Examines Infrastructure Crime Warnings:
On 23 June 2023, Allan wrote to then-Victoria Police Commissioner Shane Patton to pass on the warnings. In the letter, also tabled at the hearing, she stated that given the potential seriousness of possible criminal activity on major infrastructure worksites, she felt “dutybound” to raise the matter directly with him.
Commissioner Chris Kourakis, who is leading the inquiry, said the royal commission would “leave no stone unturned” in examining alleged corruption, organised crime infiltration and related misconduct across Victoria’s multi-billion-dollar infrastructure pipeline. Young indicated that notices to appear and give evidence would be issued to those named in the briefings, including Allan, who will have the opportunity to respond.
The documents show that concerns about industrial lawlessness, intimidation of contractors, and the presence of criminal elements on Big Build sites-encompassing projects such as the Metro Tunnel, North East Link, West Gate Tunnel and level-crossing removals-were raised with the responsible minister more than a year before media investigations brought the allegations into the public domain.
Inquiry Examines Big Build Crime Claims:
The royal commission was established as one of the first acts of new Victorian Premier Ben Carroll after Allan lost the Labor leadership in July 2026 amid mounting pressure over the Big Build scandal. Allegations first widely reported in 2024 and expanded through subsequent investigations claimed that organised crime figures and bikie gangs had infiltrated construction sites, that subcontractors faced extortion and pressure to employ certain individuals or companies, and that union-related practices contributed to significant cost blowouts on projects originally costed in the tens of billions of dollars.
Allan, who oversaw the Big Build as minister from 2018 before becoming premier, has previously acknowledged that criminals operated on some sites while rejecting earlier calls for a royal commission. She argued that existing agencies, including Victoria Police, were the appropriate bodies to investigate criminal matters and that a royal commission would delay practical action. Critics, including former integrity officials, maintained that only a royal commission possessed the coercive powers needed to examine systemic issues.
The inquiry is examining not only alleged criminal conduct and union influence but also what government ministers, senior officials and project authorities knew, when they knew it, and what steps were taken in response. Hearings are expected to continue in the coming months, including during the lead-up to Victoria’s state election.
As the commission begins its work, the 2023 briefings have placed the question of early official awareness at the centre of the public record. Whether those warnings prompted adequate action-and the full extent of any infiltration of the state’s signature infrastructure programme-will form a core part of the investigation in the months ahead.