Victoria’s New Premier Names Key Witnesses for Corruption Inquiry into State Building Scandals
's newly installed Premier Ben Carroll has signaled his willingness to testify before a planned royal commission into corruption plaguing the state's...
Victoria's newly installed Premier Ben Carroll has signaled his willingness to testify before a planned royal commission into corruption plaguing the state's major construction projects, while opposition leader Jess Wilson has tabled her own blueprint for the inquiry—setting up a potential clash over how the investigation unfolds.
Carroll, who took the top job last week after Jacinta Allan stepped down, wants the commission operational before November's state election. He's tasking the Department of Premier and Cabinet with hammering out terms of reference, insisting the process remain independent from political control.
The Opposition Draws a Line
Wilson's Liberal-National coalition has released its own witness list and procedural demands, which she calls "non-negotiable." She's refusing to back any terms of reference drafted by Labor alone—a hardline stance that could tie up the inquiry's launch in political wrangling.
The opposition wants former premier Daniel Andrews called to account, along with construction sector mediator Mick Gatto and John Setka, the disgraced ex-leader of the CFMEU union. Allan, Carroll's immediate predecessor, also tops their witness wish list.
Racing Against Election Day
Speaking at a northern Melbourne hospital on Sunday, Carroll emphasized urgency. He's already tasking a special prosecutor to work alongside the royal commission to accelerate investigations into state-funded building sites. The corruption exposed on these projects has become a defining crisis for Victorian Labor.
When asked whether Andrews and Allan would face questioning, Carroll sidestepped specifics, saying the royal commissioner should interrogate anyone deemed relevant to the inquiry. That careful language masks deeper tensions: both former leaders are from his own party, and a wide-ranging public hearing could prove damaging to Labor's electoral hopes.
Integrity experts argue the commission must dig into how political donations shaped relationships between the CFMEU and state government—a connection that may have allowed union influence to flourish within major building contracts.
Carroll's pitch for an independent process faces real headwinds. Wilson's refusal to negotiate on terms of reference means the state could find itself gridlocked between a Labor government eager to show it's cleaning house and an opposition determined to keep the inquiry's scope as broad as possible.
