‘There was grift, there was thuggery’: Victorian premier says ‘nothing is off limits’ at construction royal commission

Ben Carroll releases terms of reference for inquiry that will include examining allegations of CFMEU corruption on state government building sites

“Nothing is off limits” to Victoria’s royal commission into the construction sector, Ben Carroll has said, as he released the inquiry’s terms of reference and confirmed former premiers and ministers could be called to face public hearings.

The Victorian premier on Thursday unveiled details of the inquiry while acknowledging there had been “grift”, “thuggery” and “violence” on taxpayer-funded building sites, after the letters patent formally establishing the commission were signed off by the governor following a cabinet meeting earlier that morning.

Chris Kourakis, the former chief justice of South Australia, whom Carroll described as “independent, rigorous and fearless” has been appointed commissioner.

Kourakis, who has been given coercive powers to compel the production of information, including cabinet documents, and the attendance of witnesses, has been given a $50m budget and must report to the government by 20 August 2027.

The inquiry has been formally named the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria.

Carroll said the inquiry followed allegations of wrongdoing by the CFMEU and others connected to the Big Build , first reported by Nine newspapers in 2024.

“It is clear – and I want to acknowledge the role of both investigative journalism and whistleblowers – that there was grift, there was thuggery, there was misogyny, and there was violence on taxpayer-funded construction sites. I have zero tolerance for that,” he told reporters.

“We are giving this royal commission the broadest, most extensive, wide-ranging powers: Full transparency, nothing is off limits.

“Victorians deserve answers, and this royal commission will provide them.”

Under the terms of reference, the commission will investigate the extent to which “corruption, criminal conduct or serious misconduct” occurred on major Victoria projects by the Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU), construction companies, subcontractors, labour hire firms and others.

It will also examine whether government departments and project delivery agencies “adequately adhered” to their responsibilities in overseeing the projects.

The inquiry will consider whether measures could be taken to “recoup” taxpayer funds that were “misappropriated or received as a result of corruption, criminal conduct or serious misconduct”.

However, “lawful, legitimate and appropriate actions taken” under industrial relations and occupational health and safety laws are outside the inquiry’s scope. The commission can examine whether those laws or regulations were misused.