Big Build royal commission hearings open mid-campaign, testing the move that made Ben Carroll premier

The commitment that carried Ben Carroll into the Victorian premier's office may now threaten his bid to keep the job. On Monday, in the middle of a state election campaign, the royal commission into Victoria's Big Build opens two weeks of public hearings.

The timing could hardly be worse for Labor, which would prefer to be talking about almost anything other than allegations of corruption and criminal infiltration of government construction projects. For the Coalition, the hearings are a gift it intends to exploit.

Carroll, whose campaign bus is splashed with the words 'new premier, new direction', faces sustained questioning over the conduct of his predecessors and a past he wants to move away from. Labor insiders privately fear the coming fortnight will be damaging, though a senior Labor source said the campaign would hold its course. 'If there are bad news stories, Ben will be up in the media and we will not change our plan,' the source said. 'He'll say I set this up, I want answers. Ben is owning it. The campaign will own it.'

Establishing the inquiry, formally the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects, was arguably Carroll's first decision as premier. His predecessor, Jacinta Allan, refused to call it even after admitting criminals had infiltrated construction projects, and her party room turned to someone who would. Carroll has no control over when hearings are held or who is called.

The move has earned Carroll respect from one of Victorian Labor's most persistent critics. Deborah Glass, the state's ombudsman from 2014 to 2024, publicly demanded a royal commission in June, weeks before Allan resigned. 'This is a necessary examination of a shameful chapter in Victoria's history,' Glass told Guardian Australia, saying Carroll had shown political courage in setting up an inquiry whose proceedings would be painful for his predecessors and his party.

Some of that pain surfaced this week as early submissions were aired in the media. William McDougall, a planning expert with five decades of experience on Victorian government projects, wrote that Labor advisers may have influenced major projects without transparency or accountability, arguing that 'announcement precedes analysis, dissent is discouraged, and accountability is weakened'. The government denies the claims, which the commission will ultimately test.

On Friday, the commission revealed its initial focus would include the CFMEU's conduct on rail projects in Sunbury. The union has been central to the scandal since a 2024 Nine investigation detailed a raft of misconduct allegations, including that high-ranking bikie bosses had been parachuted into union delegate positions on the Big Build. That year John Setka quit as Victorian CFMEU boss after 12 years at the helm.

Roy Morgan polling of 2,084 Victorians in August found 'corruption and integrity failures' were the top issues that would stop people voting Labor. Some Labor MPs still wish the inquiry were not happening, arguing Allan failed to respond appropriately when the allegations first aired in 2024. While MPs have toed the line, some unions have broken away, and Labor concedes the Electrical Trades Union's decision not to fund the campaign could be costly.

If Labor loses on 28 November, as polls predict, the royal commission may stand as Carroll's lasting legacy. The Liberals plan to expand its remit to explicitly investigate all trade unions, as well as the political and financial incentives behind the Big Build.

Whatever unfolds in the coming weeks, Glass said she remains hopeful the commission will deliver a forensic analysis of what went wrong and why. 'While a proper examination will inevitably take time, Victorians need answers to those questions as soon as possible,' she said.