Big Build royal commission as it happened: Construction contractor boss says work sites have become ‘more combative’ as unions battle for territory

Detailed summary

The Kourakis royal commission is set to hear from more witnesses as it probes the union’s conduct and the government’s role in the pivotal stoush.

Shadow Attorney-General James Newbury said allegations made over the first three days of hearings, including that businesses were threatened with black-bans on government projects unless they kowtowed to the CFMEU, “go straight to the heart of corruption”.

Speaking outside Parliament House on Thursday morning, Newbury said testimony from former union organiser Paul Tzimas that a former top union boss boasted of having “a direct line to Jacinta Allan’s office” was damning.

“Jacinta Allan’s office was the enforcer to see the CFMEU on these government work sites, and Jacinta Allan’s office was receiving briefs stating that having the CFMEU on these sites -- and the decisions that they enforced -- would see hundreds of millions of dollars in inflated costs,” he said.

“That’s how we have seen a $15 billion loss to corruption in Victoria because of allegations of state-sanctioned corruption.”

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