Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has backed Victorian Premier Ben Carroll’s decision to establish a Royal Commission into corruption and organised crime in the state’s construction industry, while ruling out withholding federal funding for the Suburban Rail Loop during the inquiry.
Speaking to ABC 7.30, Albanese said the Victorian Premier had “made the right decision” and that the Commonwealth would cooperate with the inquiry.
Carroll announced the Royal Commission on Thursday, appointing former South Australian Supreme Court Chief Justice Chris Kourakis AC as Royal Commissioner. The inquiry will examine alleged misconduct involving the CFMEU, construction companies, labour hire firms, criminal organisations and government agencies involved in major Victorian projects.
Asked whether the federal government would withhold billions of dollars in infrastructure funding, including contributions to the Suburban Rail Loop, until the inquiry concludes, Albanese rejected the proposal.
“We won’t punish Victorians,” Albanese said, arguing that infrastructure funding should continue while the Royal Commission carries out its work.
The Prime Minister said the federal government had already taken action against the CFMEU, including placing the organisation into administration and his decision to expel former union leader John Setka from the Labor Party.
“What was clear is that this organisation needed cleaning up, that’s why we put them into administration, which is the strongest action that we can take.”
Albanese was also pressed on whether federal infrastructure money could ultimately benefit organised crime or bikie gangs given continuing concerns about criminal influence in Victoria’s construction sector.
“The CFMEU have been put into administration. If there’s any breaches of the law, then it’s important that law enforcement take action.”
The Victorian Royal Commission is expected to have broad powers to investigate the extent of criminal influence and misconduct across the construction industry, including the role of government and major project delivery agencies.
The interview also covered the killing of Australian humanitarian Zomi Frankcom in Gaza, gambling reform and allegations involving the culture of the AFL.
On Frankcom, Albanese described the Israeli Defence Force’s decision not to pursue a criminal investigation into her death as “an outrage” and said Australia would press Israel for greater transparency.
He said an independent investigation was an option that should be considered and confirmed the government would consult Frankcom’s family before announcing its next steps.
Asked whether Israel should release audio from the drone strikes that killed Frankcom and six other World Central Kitchen workers, Albanese said this was consistent with the transparency Australia had demanded “from day one”.
The Prime Minister also defended the government’s recently passed gambling reforms, including the introduction of AdStop, which will allow Australians to opt out of receiving gambling advertising on their devices.
He rejected suggestions that the government had limited its reforms because it feared an electoral backlash from Australia’s gambling industry.
Albanese said the government was seeking to target problem gambling while allowing Australians who choose to place occasional bets to continue doing so.
The Prime Minister also criticised the AFL over its handling of recent allegations involving Sydney Swans players, saying the league needed to examine its culture and treatment of women.
“The first thoughts should have been always about women and their safety,” Albanese said, adding that he hoped the AFL would “certainly need to do better”.
Asked about his controversial appearance on the Bush Deep podcast, Albanese acknowledged he would not repeat the decision.
“If I had my time again, which you don’t, then I wouldn’t have done that podcast,” he said, describing it as “an error”.
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