Overview
- The Age reports that government officials relayed a 2022 request from then‑ministerial office to a rail consortium to agree to CFMEU demands, a deal that placed B K Labour on the Gap Road level‑crossing project and added about $2 million in costs.
- Victoria Police’s Taskforce Hawk has laid criminal charges in the broader Big Build probe and the Labour Hire Authority has cancelled dozens of licences, with official counts cited at 93 charges and 164 licence cancellations.
- Senior Taskforce leaders have said there is “no doubt” organised criminals infiltrated projects through labour hire firms and have urged legislative changes and stronger powers to trace illicit payments.
- Anti‑corruption figures Geoffrey Watson, Robert Redlich and Deborah Glass have renewed calls for an urgent royal commission while Premier Jacinta Allan rejects that step and has instead pledged an IBAC powers review for 2027.
- Independent inquiries and reporting estimate roughly $15 billion in excess costs tied to CFMEU‑linked conduct in the Big Build and the controversy raises risks to taxpayers, project budgets and workers if reform and enforcement do not quicken.