The Business Council today welcomed the announcement by the new Victorian Premier Ben Carroll of a Royal Commission in Victoria.
Business Council Chief Executive Bran Black said the decision was the right call and confirmed what the Business Council has consistently argued.
“The Business Council has long called for a Royal Commission, and we welcome Premier Carroll’s announcement.”
“This is the right decision for Victoria and for every business and worker in the construction sector, and for every Victorian taxpayer,” Mr Black said.
“Victorians have, by some estimates, paid $15 billion more than they should have for infrastructure because of how the Big Build program has been rolled out. That’s money that could have gone to hospitals, schools and other essential services.”
“Only a Royal Commission with the power to compel documents and witnesses, and make public findings and recommendations, can get to the bottom of what has gone wrong and make sure it never happens again.”
“We will await the details of the terms of reference. For this Royal Commission to deliver the answers Victorians deserve, these must be broad enough to enable the Commissioner to follow the evidence wherever it leads,” Mr Black said.
The Victorian Government’s announcement of a Royal Commission is a direct vindication of the Business Council’s concerns about the Federal Government’s union procurement legislation recently rushed through Parliament. Concentrating access to government-funded work around union-backed agreements creates corruption risks, as Victoria has demonstrated.