Ben Carroll calls a royal commission, but critics await details

Carroll government promises construction royal commission will have 'exhaustive' scope Wed 29 Jul 2026 at 4:41pm In short: Integrity experts have welcomed Victorian Premier Ben Carroll's announcement of a royal commission into the construction sector. Mr Carroll has promised an exhaustive investigation into allegations of corruption and violence on government Big Build sites. The opposition says the government will constrain the terms of reference of the royal commission to protect Labor party figures. New Victorian premier Ben Carroll has been at pains to distance himself from his predecessor Jacinta Allan in an attempt to revive Labor's hopes at the coming state election. As part of the "new direction" he has promised, Mr Carroll has called a royal commission into the construction sector, something Ms Allan steadfastly refused to do in the final months of her leadership. Mr Carroll said he met with the head of the Department of Premier and Cabinet yesterday and asked him to "get to work immediately" on the royal commission, which will investigate corruption in the multi-decade, $100 billion government construction project known as the "Big Build". Serious allegations have been made of misconduct, corruption and violence on government worksites and estimates suggest Victorian taxpayers have lost up to $15 billion due to criminal activity. But details are still scant on exactly what the royal commission will cover, leaving integrity experts and critics waiting for an indication of the full scope of the inquiry. Premier promises 'exhaustive' investigation Royal commissions are bound by terms of reference, which define what the inquiry should look at. Ms Carroll says he wants "exhaustive terms of reference" that will leave no-one outside the scope of the investigation. "I want no stone unturned, whether it is top-tier contractors, subcontractors, labour hire, government, unions,"he said. The announcement has been welcomed by integrity experts and agencies around the country. Anti-corruption organisation Transparency International Australia says a forensic investigation of what has occurred on Big Build sites is the only way for the government to win back the trust of Victorians. "Only a royal commission with broad terms of reference and strong coercive powers will truly uncover what went wrong, who was responsible and what needs to change," TIA chief executive Clancy Moore said. "This is key for Premier Carroll to have any credibility with voters." Anti-corruption barrister Geoffrey Watson SC, the author of a damning report exposing allegations of crime, corruption, violence and extortion within the Victorian branch of the CFMEU, said the announcement of the royal commission was "music to [his] ears". He said there was something "radically" wrong with Victoria's enterprise bargaining agreement system and that the royal commission would uncover the full details. Mr Watson said that system "concentrated the power in the hands of very few people". "It made it susceptible to external corruption," he said. Robert Redlich, the former commissioner of Victoria's Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC), said the announcement was long overdue. "We've needed one. This has been a historic public scandal unprecedented which demands something like a royal commission," he said. "One has got to recognise that this huge public wastage means that money that could have gone to health, could have gone to education, to all sorts of other things, is missing. "Ultimately Victorians will pay the price. Not just for this generation but the next generation to come from the fact that the debt has so grown." Opposition slams 'sham' announcement Mr Redlich said the effectiveness of the royal commission into construction would depend heavily on the terms of reference. "There have been occasions when governments have called royal commissions, but given the royal commission very, very limited jurisdiction to investigate," he said. The Victorian opposition is warning of that risk. Liberal leader Jess Wilson said what Mr Carroll had announced was a "fake royal commission". "If Ben Carroll is serious about a real royal commission into the largest corruption in this state's history, of course it should be set up before the election," Ms Wilson said. "But I suspect that we're going to have a sham royal commission without terms of reference that will ensure that we're calling witnesses from the Labor party, former ministers, current ministers." Ms Wilson has also called for Mr Carroll's predecessor to be called to give evidence before the royal commission. "Jacinta Allan must be called to give evidence," she said. "We know that Victorians want her to answer for how this has happened in the first place. She set up the system, she's the architect of the Big Build." Mr Redlich said Ms Allan "undoubtedly" should be called, along with her predecessor, Daniel Andrews. Mr Redlich said investigating how the CFMEU came to wield so much power on Big Build sites was something that only Mr Andrews could answer, because the project began under his premiership. "If the royal commission is going to look at where the problems started, why they started, that's the place at which the royal commission must commence," Mr Redlich said.