Photo via Daily Mail

Ex-Victorian premier to be grilled over $150billion Big Build as royal commission into alleged corruption on construction sites kicks off

Read the original at Daily Mail ↗
Cite

Wilson, E. (2026, September 23). Ex-Victorian premier to be grilled over $150billion Big Build as royal commission into alleged corruption on construction sites kicks off. Daily Mail. https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16153683/Big-Build-commission-Jacinta-Allan.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Daily Mail · collected 2026-09-23 · by Eleanor Wilson

Quick Summary

A royal commission into alleged corruption on Victorian construction sites has begun, with former premier Jacinta Allan set to give evidence. The commission investigates the integrity of over 100 projects under the $150 billion Big Build infrastructure initiative. Counsel assisting the commission cited a cabinet memo naming Ms. Allan in connection with concerns about industrial relations issues and criminal activity on public job sites. Commissioner Christopher Kourakis KC vowed to leave no stone unturned in pursuing those involved, highlighting the seriousness of the inquiry.
Written by AI on 2026-09-23, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Big Build royal commission in Victoria opened its first public hearing on Wednesday, focusing on alleged corruption within government construction projects. Former South Australian chief justice Chris Kourakis, appointed to lead the inquiry with a budget of $50 million, emphasized his commitment to an exhaustive investigation during an August briefing.

Confidential documents from June 21, 2023, revealed that then-transport minister Jacinta Allan was aware of serious concerns regarding union tactics and potential criminal infiltration on taxpayer-funded projects. These allegations include issues such as organized crime figures appearing at construction sites and the presence of outlaw motorcycle gang members.

The inquiry, which covers infrastructure worth an estimated $150 billion, has already conducted closed hearings following its launch in August. It aims to address a range of issues including the extent of corruption on major projects, the effectiveness of government oversight, and actions taken by contractors to mitigate risks. Notably, former premier Allan will be required to give evidence as part of the inquiry.

The opening hearing underscored the significance of this investigation for Victoria's construction sector, indicating that key figures from both current and previous administrations may face scrutiny during subsequent hearings.

Written for “Big Build Royal Commission Opens” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 4 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Big Build Royal Commission Opens
Politics · 5 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Big Build royal commission LIVE: Opening hearing to lay foundations for probe into alleged corruption on government building sites Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 2 of 7 claims Outlet record 61/100
Breaking: Royal commission probing construction sector corruption in Victoria opens Same event
ABC News (AU)
Hedges 1 of 26 claims Outlet record 67/100
Bikies, ‘moral compass malfunctions’ and corruption cost: Victoria’s Big Build royal commission holds first public hearing Same event
The Guardian
Hedges 3 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
Royal commission hints at original sin of Big Build Same event
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 4 of 37 claims Outlet record 61/100
Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog finally has teeth. These are its new powers Different event
The Sydney Morning Herald
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 31 claims Outlet record 61/100
“Article A discusses the opening hearing of a royal commission where Jacinta Allan is required to give evidence, while Article B talks about new powers given to Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog IBAC.”
Mookhey referred commissioner claims to ICAC after meeting Labor lawyer Different event
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 4 of 25 claims Outlet record 61/100
“The articles describe different events related to corruption inquiries but occurring in distinct contexts and times.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
23
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 23 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
69/100
Daily Mail's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
5
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-23 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Daily Mail · 9239 article(s) · 22 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 22 correction(s)
2026-11-02
Inmates dob in their jailers: Female officer 'smashed' on vodka, sex tape claims and alleged staff drug busts engulf Victoria's prisons
2026-11-01
Angus Taylor blasts the Albanese government over release of convicted terrorist linked to alleged Bondi gunman: 'Not good enough'
2026-10-30
Bachelor star Sam Wood seeks bail after almost a month behind bars over alleged attack on wife Snezana while on holiday in Noosa
2026-10-27
Wheel of Fortune announcer Jim Thornton update: Witness who claims to have seen star in 'pedophilia' chatroom has still not been contacted by FBI
2026-10-27
Manhunt launched after murderer who buried victim's body beneath his home escapes from Tennessee prison
2026-10-27
'I can get a gun for 10 grand': Secretly recorded jail call played to Beau Lamarre-Condon murder trial
2026-10-26
Escalation in '$100,000 cocaine raid' that rocked Brighton: Ex-private schoolboy hit with two more charges as police allege drug debtors list found on phone
2026-10-13
Daily Mail journalist KARLEIGH SMITH confronts Snowtown serial killer James Vlassakis as he tastes freedom for the first time in 26 years: 'What do you have to say for yourself?'
2026-10-13
Sam Wood is moved to Queensland's most feared prison: 'Pretty boy' Bachelor's brutal new reality with 'the worst of the worst'
2026-10-08
Russian plague victim's grieving mother denies scientist daughter was infected after breaking test tube - as PPE-clad team disinfect her home
2026-10-04
Prison chief stands down over botched execution
2026-10-03
Tennessee prison chief who oversaw botched execution of Christa Pike resigns, governor announces
2026-09-25
Twisted teacher who started school FIGHT CLUB and encouraged children to attack each other is given shockingly lenient punishment
2026-09-22
Melbourne inmate vanished without trace while carrying his brother's coffin 150 days ago - and cops are still hunting him
2026-09-21
Magistrate blasts Melbourne marketing mum Christina Georgiou over 'despicable' $50,000 fraud: How a master's graduate with a drug debt ended up rorting Covid and flood relief schemes
2026-09-18
Female corrections officer fired and arrested over claims she sneaked her home cooked meals into jail to give to inmates
2026-09-18
Woke NYC mayor offers condolences after alleged murderer, 20, dies in custody... but makes NO mention of his disabled victim
2026-09-15
Infamous prisoner known for his 'stop snitching' slogan DISAPPEARS during transfer from one federal prison to another
2026-09-15
Charles Manson's 'right-hand man' dies in prison at 83 after his parole was blocked 8 times
2026-09-15
Jeffrey Epstein's suicide watch 'companion' insists paedophile financier DID kill himself after becoming 'defeated' in his final days
2026-09-07
The evidence Epstein did NOT kill himself: Lawyer and pathologist reveal details they claim indicate the paedophile WAS murdered in jail in new documentary
2026-09-06
Clarifications and corrections

Who wrote this

Eleanor Wilson
2 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 “My husband deserves protection, and I really hope the Australian government will continue to put pressure on Cambodia to do an investigation to find out where he is right now.”
2026-09-29 · assertive framing · Australian activist ‘abducted’ in Cambodia by Vietnamese government, rights group claims
🔮 - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Ousted premier Jacinta Allan will be required to give evidence before a royal commission into alleged corruption on taxpayer-funded construction sites. The former Victorian premier will be among the biggest names to front the inquiry, tasked with examining the integrity of the state's $150billion Big Build infrastructure projects, as confirmed during the commission's opening hearing on Wednesday. Counsel assisting the commission Chris Young KC cited Ms Allan as one of several people named in a cabinet memo tendered during the hearing.
2026-09-23 · assertive framing · Ex-Victorian premier to be grilled over $150billion Big Build as royal commission into alleged corruption on construction sites kicks off
Also by Eleanor Wilson
Australian activist ‘abducted’ in Cambodia by Vietnamese government, rights group claims
2026-09-29 · The Sydney Morning Herald
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Big Build Daily Mail Victoria Victorian

Subjects

Allan PERSON · 6× CFMEU ORG · 4× Ben Carroll PERSON · 3× Victorian NORP · 3× Big Build ORG · 2× Jacinta Allan PERSON · 2× Victoria GPE · 2× Young PERSON · 2× Chris Young KC PERSON · 1× Daily Mail ORG · 1×

Narrative

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Ousted premier Jacinta Allan will be required to give evidence before a royal commission into alleged corruption on taxpayer-funded construction sites. The former Victorian premier will be among the biggest names to front the inquiry, tasked with examining the integrity of the state's $150billion Big Build infrastructure projects, as confirmed during the commission's opening hearing on Wednesday. Counsel assisting the commission Chris Young KC cited Ms Allan as one of several people named in a cabinet memo tendered during the hearing.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-23
🔮 - See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Ousted premier Jacinta Allan will be required to give evidence before a royal commission into alleged corruption on taxpayer-funded construction sites. The former Victorian premier will be among the biggest names to front the inquiry, tasked with examining the integrity of the state's $150billion Big Build infrastructure projects, as confirmed during the commission's opening hearing on Wednesday. Counsel assisting the commission Chris Young KC cited Ms Allan as one of several people named in a cabinet memo tendered during the hearing.
2026-09-23 · Daily Mail
Ex-Victorian premier to be grilled over $150billion Big Build as royal commission into alleged corruption on construction sites kicks off · assertive framing

Claims (23 extracted, 0 hedged)

- See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Ousted premier Jacinta Allan will be required to give evidence before a royal commission into alleged corruption on taxpayer-funded construction sites. The former Victorian premier will be among the biggest names to front the inquiry, tasked with examining the integrity of the state's $150billion Big Build infrastructure projects, as confirmed during the commission's opening hearing on Wednesday. Counsel assisting the commission Chris Young KC cited Ms Allan as one of several people named in a cabinet memo tendered during the hearing. asserted
Counsel → see → hearing
'Notices to appear and give evidence will be issued to each person named on this briefing in due course,' he said. asserted
he → appear → course
The memo summarised a ministerial briefing on June 21, 2023, where concerns were raised about a range of industrial relations issues on certain public job sites. asserted
concerns → summarise → sites
Ms Allan, then transport and infrastructure minister, was named in the memo, although the signature box next to her name was empty. asserted
box → name → name
She has denied being aware of the brief, which raised allegations of intimidatory behaviour towards contractors, as well as outlaw motorcycle gang members and criminals being present on government work sites. asserted
members → deny → sites
'Whether, when, and how its contents reached the former premier are questions this commission will examine, and the former premier will have every opportunity to respond,' Mr Young said. asserted
Young → reach → opportunity
Ousted premier Jacinta Allan (above) will front a royal commission into alleged corruption linked to Big Build infrastructure Victoria spent $150billion on Big Build projects under Allan (pictured with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese) asserted
Victoria → front → Albanese
A second briefing from senior authority figures, which was signed by Ms Allan the next day, shared anecdotal reports of criminal elements potentially becoming involved in state construction projects. asserted
elements → sign → projects
It flagged the behaviour had 'the potential to significantly impact project costs and schedule,' Mr Young told the inquiry. asserted
Young → flag → inquiry
The second briefing also cited separate industrial relations concerns it claimed were the 'subject of a separate briefing' to Ms Allan, who resigned as premier on July 28 after being challenged by Ben Carroll. asserted
who → cite → Carroll
The commission into Big Build, which comprises more than 100 projects, will run through the November election, the hearing was told, with upcoming hearing dates yet to be announced. asserted
hearing → comprise → dates
Premier Ben Carroll in July promised to set up the $50million royal commission as his first act in government after he toppled Ms Allan, who had for months rejected widespread calls to launch a probe. asserted
who → promise → probe
Commissioner Christopher Kourakis KC used his opening address to announce he would pursue 'every person who is reasonably suspected of being complicit in the abuse of entrusted power for private gain'. asserted
who → use → gain
'I assure the people of Victoria and warn all people who have done wrong that the commission will leave no stone unturned in search for whatever is hidden, or whomever lurks underneath it,' he said. asserted
he → assure → it
'Anyone who has an ambition to remain in the industry will be better served by early voluntary disclosures to the commission than by waiting to be found out.' asserted
who → have → commission
Premier Ben Carroll (above) in July promised to set up the $50million royal commission into the projects asserted
Carroll → promise → projects
At the centre of the probe is the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU)'s Victorian branch, accused of widespread misconduct on job sites. asserted
branch → accuse → sites
An explosive report by corruption-busting barrister Geoffrey Watson SC titled Rotting from the Top estimated alleged corrupt conduct by the CFMEU had effectively fleeced Victorian taxpayers of $15billion. asserted
conduct → bust → 15billion
'The CFMEU has a track record of ostentatiously defying the law,' Counsel Assisting Chris Carr SC told the packed court room. asserted
SC → have → room
In the five years before the CFMEU was plunged into administration in August 2024, the union and its officers incurred more than $10million in penalties owing to 1163 breaches of industrial law, Mr Carr noted. asserted
Carr → plunge → law
Mr Watson on Tuesday told AAP he felt relieved to finally see the wheels of accountability turning. asserted
wheels → tell → accountability
A number of closed hearings, which Mr Kourakis said would have compromised the commission's ongoing investigations, have been held. asserted
Kourakis → close → investigations
Further closed hearings will occur where necessary, Mr Kourakis said. asserted
Kourakis → close → ?
💬Give feedback · no sign-in needed

No sign-in needed for now. Your note is sent without a name, so it cannot be answered.

🕘History 🎫Support
Terms · Privacy · beta v2.0.0
Articles to 4 Nov 2026