Victorian premier blames ‘inflation not corruption’ for Big Build cost blowouts amid fresh allegations

Jacinta Allan has resisted growing calls for a royal commission into alleged corruption on Victoria’s $100bn Big Build, declaring “inflationary pressures on projects is not corruption”. It comes after an investigation by Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes reported allegations that money from the state’s Big Build infrastructure projects was being paid to gangland figures and that the state government was warned about cost blowouts due to Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) demands. Nine’s Building Bad investigation reported that infrastructure companies repeatedly warned the Victorian government between 2022 and 2024 that CFMEU demands had inflated labour costs on the Metro Tunnel .