Victoria's Big Build Inquiry Opens With Focus on 2023 Warnings
Victoria's Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction opened its first public hearing on 23 September 2026 with documents saying Jacinta Allan, then minister for transport infrastructure, received allegations in June 2023 of criminal infiltration of Big Build worksites. The Guardian
A royal commission is Australia's most powerful type of public inquiry, with powers to compel witnesses and documents. Counsel for the inquiry tendered two confidential briefings, both dated 21 June 2023. Counsel tendered them as having been written by four public servants from the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority and the Department for Transport.
The difference between the papers was a focus of the opening. The first briefing was not signed by Allan. The second was signed by her on 22 June.
The first briefing warned of potential criminal elements such as outlaw motorcycle club members and convicted criminals being present on worksites. The second contained more specific allegations. It named Toby Mitchell, identified as a former member of the Mongols motorcycle club, as having been present on a construction site. It also referred to known Bandidos members and known ex-criminals on site, including some wearing ankle bracelets. The same briefing noted that a person was recently shot with a bolt gun off site but in a work context, though it did not break the skin.
Allan referred the allegations to then Victoria police commissioner Shane Patton on 23 June 2023. That referral came one day after she signed the second briefing. Counsel assisting the commissioner Chris Young KC stated Allan would have every opportunity to respond during the inquiry.
The mandate before the commission covers allegations of corruption, criminal conduct and serious misconduct across the $150bn pipeline of Big Build projects. That includes the $26.1bn North East Link, the $13.5bn Metro Tunnel, the $10.2bn West Gate Tunnel and $15bn worth of level crossing removals. In scope are procurement, meaning how contractors are chosen, plus labour hire, site access controls and union site governance.
The commission is headed by former chief justice Christopher Kourakis. It held closed hearings following its launch in August. Its opening hearing was live streamed from 10 am on Wednesday, 23 September 2026. Two blocks of hearings will be held before the end of 2026, with public hearings planned during the November state election campaign. ABC News Findings are due by August 2027. The commission operates an official website at rcimcp.vic.gov.au.
The broader context here is timing and traceability. The June 2023 paper trail counts more than the general claim for specialists. Two briefings in two days, differential signing, and a next-day police referral create a sequence the commission can test. It will likely probe what was known, what was escalated, and what controls followed. Hearings running through a state campaign shorten response time for witnesses and agencies, while evidence led in public will be weighed at once by voters, contractors and regulators. The August 2027 deadline gives scope to move from site-level incidents to wider questions of procurement and oversight.
