Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan defends $100 bn Big Build amid union misconduct allegations

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan repeated that cost overruns in the state’s $100 billion “Big Build” infrastructure program are not due to corruption but to inflation, insisting that the involvement of the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) and alleged organised‑crime links have not added systemic costs. Allan cited economists Saul Eslake and David Hayward, who argue that Victoria’s construction inflation has been lower than in other states, to counter calls for a royal commission into the sector. Union‑backed analysts on the “Check the Maths” website used the same economists to challenge corruption expert Geoffrey Watson’s estimate of multibillion‑dollar losses.

The premier faces a November state election, with a tight fight to retain her Bendigo East seat, while opposition and community groups demand a formal inquiry into alleged CFMEU misconduct and the alleged flow of public money to “bikies” and corrupt contractors.