Chinese plasterers allege wage theft on Victorian housing projects

Approximately 30 Chinese plasterers have alleged they were victims of wage theft involving a venture linked to Melbourne’s underworld. The workers claim the theft occurred on several major projects, including a $44 million taxpayer-funded social housing development in Bendigo, Victoria.

The Bendigo project, which provided 73 new homes through Uniting community housing, was previously celebrated by state and federal Labor officials as a success of inter-governmental cooperation. However, the workers' allegations suggest that major construction firms may have engaged with underworld-linked entities to secure labor.

These claims emerge amidst ongoing scrutiny of Victoria’s construction sector, including unresolved allegations of corruption within the CFMEU and investigations by a royal commission.