维多利亚州政府的基建计划因工会腐败和黑帮渗透陷入严重危机。运输部长Jacinta Allan因未能有效制止该问题而于本月辞职，其继任者Ben Carroll随后宣布启动皇家委员会调查。[1]
维州"大建设"（Big Build）项目总成本预计达1090亿澳元，但反腐调查员Geoffrey Watson估计仅工会腐败就浪费约150亿澳元。[1]建筑工人联合会（CFMEU）自2014年后逐步控制大型基建项目，通过暴力威胁、敲诈勒索和非法工业行为向承包商索取巨款。据称North East Link项目成本从158亿澳元增至超过200亿澳元，Metro隧道项目劳动力成本从2.99亿澳元升至9.01亿澳元，而Gap Road项目因CFMEU干预增加了200万澳元劳动力成本。[1]
Allan在2022年、2023年和2024年多次遭到警告，但未采取有效行动。[1]
Victoria's ambitious infrastructure program has been engulfed in a corruption scandal involving systematic extortion by construction unions, with investigations revealing massive cost blowouts tied to illicit activity. The state's Big Build projects, estimated at 109 billion Australian dollars, have been compromised by the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees' Union (CFMEU), which according to anti-corruption investigators has extracted at least 15 billion dollars through threats, intimidation and illegal industrial action against contractors [1]. The North East Link project ballooned from 15.8 billion to over 20 billion dollars, while the Metro tunnel's labor costs surged from 299 million to 901 million dollars under pressure from union interference [1].
The scandal has triggered a political reckoning, with Transport Minister Jacinta Allan stepping down this month after repeated warnings in 2022, 2023 and 2024 that she failed to adequately address the corruption [1]. Her successor, Ben Carroll, has announced the establishment of a royal commission to investigate the full extent of the problem [1]. Anti-corruption official Geoffrey Watson's analysis suggests the union's extortion scheme, which generated over 5 million dollars annually through protection rackets, has been a primary driver of project cost escalation across Victoria's infrastructure portfolio [1].