Premier Jacinta Allan has been forced to defended her record on responding to allegations of criminality on construction sites in Victoria after explosive claims were levelled against the CFMEU’s state branch.
Addressing reporters on Tuesday, Ms Allan sought to clear up how she dealt with allegations which came across her office when she was deputy premier and minister in charge of infrastructure.
Ms Allan acknowledged the correspondence was not acted on quickly enough but said steps were taken in June last year to make the Victoria Police chief commissioner Shane Patton aware of possible criminal incidents on infrastructure projects.
“As minister and now as Premier I have always acted when concerns have been raised with me,” she said.
“Last year I was advised by the major transport infrastructure authority who were anecdotally aware of possible criminal incidents on work sites here in Victoria.
“The MTIA referred those matters to Victoria Police and simultaneously as I was aware of those alleged incidences, I also wrote to the chief commissioner of police to directly raise those matters with him.
“Then, as now … I have zero tolerance for any sort of illegal behaviour. Those who’ve worked with me also know that I have very little tolerance for slow bureaucracy.
“I do want to also acknowledge today the processes in place… did not support particular correspondence being acted on or resolved quickly.”
The MTIA, which was absorbed into the new Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority earlier this year along with the Victorian Health Building Authority, had oversight of the government’s big build rail and road projects.
Ms Allan was later asked why she took a year to respond to an Indigenous labour hire firm who raised claims of threats of violence, intimidation and bans by the CFMEU on a state-funded Monash Freeway project if she had no tolerance for slow bureaucracy.
The Premier conceded that in that case it was “clear that the correspondence was not processed quickly enough”.
“But when it was formally lodged with both my office and the major transport infrastructure authority it was acted upon,” she said.
“In acting on that correspondence, an investigation was undertaken and it was very clear that these were matters that were best addressed by the agency responsible for dealing with workplace matters in this state, and that is the federal government agency.”
The Victorian branch of the CFMEU was put into administration on Monday following an emergency meeting of the union’s national executive.
The administration came after allegations emerged over the weekend of bullying and criminal behaviour by Victorian officials involving construction projects, along with claims bikies had infiltrated the union.
Ms Allan responded to those allegations by announcing a range of measures to weed out a “rotten culture” from the union.
She confirmed on Tuesday the Victorian Labor Party was no longer receiving donations from the construction division of the CFMEU, and that steps had been taken to suspend the division from the party.
Ms Allan added legislation will be introduced to parliament next month to toughen anti-bikie laws to prevent certain individuals from associating with each other.
“It will be a tool to help authorities to crack down on outlaw bikies on work sites,” she said.