Updated ,first published
Several Labor MPs have raised concerns about Jacinta Allan’s handling of the deepening CFMEU corruption crisis on a day when the premier clashed with reporters over her government’s response.
Three backbench MPs, speaking anonymously to avoid repercussions, told The Age the government needed to neutralise the issue, with a royal commission and tougher powers for the state’s anti-corruption watchdog among the options being discussed internally.
But Allan on Thursday rejected such concerns as “anonymous gossip” in a tense press conference in which she threatened to stop answering questions if a reporter did not retract a comment suggesting she was “disinterested” in the corruption scandal.
She rejected the need for a royal commission and doubled down on her ministers’ criticisms of Geoffrey Watson, SC, as she denied that calling him a “headline chaser” and questioning his professional integrity was inappropriate.
On Thursday night, the government was forced to adjourn a parliamentary debate on an omnibus justice bill after the Greens and the Coalition pressed to amend it with new follow-the-money powers for IBAC.
After the Greens gained enough crossbench support to pass the amendment, the government pushed back the final vote rather than risk the amendment passing the upper house.
Shadow attorney-general James Newbury attacked the move, claiming Allan had “so lost her moral compass” that she would delay critical anti-hate speech laws and IBAC reforms, while Greens leader Ellen Sandell accused Labor of “pulling out all the stops” to prevent the changes from passing.
The legislation also includes a key anti-vilification reform pledged by Allan following the Bondi terror attack, which would remove the need for the Director of Public Prosecutions to approve hate-speech charges.
Victorian Labor ministers on Wednesday launched a personal attack on Watson, after sections stripped from his report into CFMEU corruption accused the state Labor government of turning a blind eye to CFMEU corruption and organised crime on infrastructure projects, at a cost to taxpayers of $15 billion. Watson then gave similar evidence at a Queensland inquiry into the union.
Police Minister Anthony Carbines called Watson a headline chaser and said his evidence was “florid ramblings”.
Attorney-General Sonya Kilkenny doubled down by saying it was reckless for anyone to make unfounded claims of a $15 billion cost to taxpayers from corruption in the Big Build. She went on to say lawyers had a professional responsibility to rely on evidence.
Outside parliament on Thursday, Carbines intensified his criticism, calling Watson thin-skinned and responding to the barrister’s suggestion that Carbines was engaging in Trumpist politics as “snobbish”.
“I don’t even know what that means,” he said.
“I just think this all goes to the snobby nature of how people want to behave – if you have evidence, lay it out there.”
He said Watson’s comments demonstrated that “people are pretty thin-skinned and want to make partisan attacks when their homework is questioned”.
Asked whether it was acceptable for senior ministers to undermine the work of Watson, Allan said she disagreed with the characterisation, and she repeated claims that it was “reckless” to repeat “unfounded claims”.
She went on to claim that Kilkenny’s statement did not directly attack Watson and her statement applied to “all lawyers”.
“Those claims that Mr Watson have made have been referred to by the federal administrator [Mark Irving, KC] as unfounded,” Allan said.
“The attorney-general made a really important statement yesterday, it should apply to all of us.”
The three Labor MPs, from across the party’s factions, said they worried about the impact the scandal was having on the government, and that there was a broader opinion that the government needed to act to neutralise the issue.
“The response to date has been a f—ing mess,” one MP said.
Even though some disputed Watson’s $15 billion figure, they accepted that it had cut through with voters and was damaging the party’s reputation. Two backed a royal commission of some kind, after the Greens and the crossbench had backed an upper house Coalition motion calling for an inquiry.
All three were supportive of giving the state’s anti-corruption watchdog the power to follow taxpayer dollars to subcontractors.
“We don’t have to support their amendment. [But] we should be saying we are working on further steps and have something to show in the next week,” one MP said.
Two other MPs strongly defended the premier and her stance that Victoria Police, the Fair Work Commission and other authorities were best placed to investigate corruption concerns.
Allan said no MP had raised matters with her regarding calls for a royal commission.
“I’m not going to respond to anonymous gossip,” she said.
“But I’ll repeat why I don’t support a royal commission. The claims don’t stack up. There has already been a royal commission that failed and furthermore when Liberals call for a royal commission it’s all about wanting to claw back members’ wages.”
During the press conference, Allan threatened to walk off after a reporter told her people were fearful of going to police, and suggested she looked “disinterested” in the matter.
Allan refused to proceed until the reporter retracted that comment. Another journalist attempted to ask a question, but Allan again refused to proceed until the statement was retracted.
“No, no, no, because I’m not going to stand here and be accused of something I haven’t done, and I would ask that you retract,” Allan said.
The reporter did not do so and Allan eventually decided to push on with the conference.
The Electrical Trades Union Victorian branch on Thursday put out a statement defending the Big Build. They said 100,000 workers had been inducted on to projects and Victorians should be proud of the way they changed the state.
“We won’t let the actions of a few detract from the monumental achievements and dedication of the many hardworking construction workers who built the Big Build,” they said.
“The $15 billion claim lacks credibility and a factual basis, like many of the unsubstantiated allegations aired this fortnight. Allegations should never be treated as fact.”
On Thursday, The Age revealed that two prominent Victorian union and Labor powerbrokers had been filmed dining with gangland figure Mick Gatto on a yacht, raising fresh questions about the Allan government’s efforts to combat underworld influence.
Allan on Thursday did not answer questions about whether her government would refuse to meet with union leaders that are associated with Gatto.
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Daniella White is a state political reporter for The Age. Contact her at da.white@nine.com.auConnect via X or email.