Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee, , 2:13:26 to 2:17:38
Officials provide details on the centralization of construction complaints through Workplace Inspector Victoria and the process for referring allegations to relevant regulators.
Topics: Infrastructure, Integrity
Speakers: Hon Bridget McKenzie, Lachlan Wood, Jessica Hall, Senator Paul Scarr, Unknown Speaker
>> for the minister to consider. Y >> Um on the same page of the minutes from the state commonwealth roads project governance group meeting on the 21st of May, top point. Point4 states construction complaints have been centralized since the 17th of December 2025. What does centralized mean and where were those complaints centralized
to? Uh so Victoria has established the workforce inspector Victoria as the central body for all um allegations to be provided to that come through um these projects and then that workplace inspector Victoria provide like refers on the allegation to the relevant
>> Does the department know whether any of the construction complaints that were centralized were serious in nature?
we have some the reports that are given to us have some information in relation to the specifics of the allegations. Um but in the interest of not impeding ongoing investigations, that's not something we get into the detail of.
Did any department officials at the meeting report the fact that construction complaints were being centralized to Minister King? >> Is she aware that?
>> So the establishment of Workplace Inspector Victoria is in the public domain and has been communicated quite extensively across construction sites in Victoria as part of encouraging people to report.
>> Yes. And my question is out of your um on the 21st of May was your minister then aware that complaints have been centralized that this public
>> I would I will have to check that because it may have been included in a previous briefing um from the time that the inspectorate was established back in December um in our briefing.
>> What would that department's role would
be? check on where that is.
>> Um what action did the minister take when she was made aware of these um actions by the Victorian government? If you could actually take that on notice, too. Um in May, Senate estimates you identified 28 reports. All of those remain under investigation of criminal behavior, fraud, etc. You've not been informed that any have been informed otherwise? >> And are you confident that you would be >> Yes.
>> So, we do ask those questions, Senator. I think going back to your previous conversation, we ask all jurisdictions to advise us of when projects have been closed or investigations have been closed and the findings of those investigations, but as I said previously, some of these can take a considerable amount of time.
>> Can I ask just a follow-up question in that? So, there's there's a number of stages in relation to allegations, right? someone makes an allegation, there's an investigation, there'll be choices as to whether or not the matter should be referred to, say, the director of public prosecutions, whether or not legal proceedings are initiated. Are you given updates with respect to each relevant milestone in terms of the progression of the allegation? Because there's a a broad spectrum of events of milestones between the making of an allegation when it's closed.
>> Uh where they can provide us with that information, they do. Yes.
So, how many have
>> What do you mean, Senator? In regards to where they've been closed, none of them have been closed.
>> In answer to Senator Scarr's question,
>> let let me
>> when they can, they do. >> Yeah. >> Right. Well, we've got 84 of them. >> How many of them have provided uh a level of update?
>> Um, we can provide that information. Thank you, Senator. we'll take um we'll just have to go through and take it on notice and we'll come back to you along with the other information that we've pro we'll taken on notice as well >> today we should be able to take you