Victorian premier blames ‘inflation not corruption’ for Big Build cost blowouts amid fresh allegations

Jacinta Allan resists calls for royal commission into state’s $100bn Big Build infrastructure project as pressure mounts following new reports

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An integrity expert says Jacinta Allan blaming “inflationary pressures” rather than corruption for cost blowouts on the state’s $100bn Big Build is “nonsense”, as the Victorian premier resists growing calls for a royal commission.

Allan on Monday declared that “inflationary pressures on projects is not corruption” after Nine newspapers and 60 Minutes reported allegations that money from the state’s Big Build infrastructure projects was being paid to gangland figures and that the state government was warned about cost blowouts due to Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) demands.