Victorian Police Minister Anthony Carbines has refused to publicly discuss reports that he delivered a forceful critique of Premier Jacinta Allan’s office and Labor’s organisational leadership, while standing beside the Premier during a tense media appearance in Bendigo.
Mr Carbines was questioned on Wednesday about comments he reportedly made at Victorian Labor’s annual caucus retreat in Ballarat, where he was said to have warned that the government was failing to rebuild public trust amid continuing allegations of organised crime, corruption and intimidation linked to the construction industry and taxpayer-funded Big Build projects.
“You’re referring to the caucus conference, and I don’t comment on caucus meetings,” Mr Carbines said.
The Police Minister did not deny raising concerns during the private meeting but sought to present a united front with Ms Allan, declaring that he supported the government’s current response.
“The Premier has made it clear the government’s position on those matters, and I continue to work closely with the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police to disrupt and dismantle organised crime wherever it may be across the state,” he said.
“My position is the government’s position.”
His comments followed reports that he had confronted Labor officials over the party’s handling of the corruption controversy and its preparations for the November state election.
Mr Carbines reportedly argued that Labor needed to respond more forcefully to the perception that corruption had been allowed to operate across major construction projects. He was also reported to have clashed with assistant state secretary Jett Fogarty during discussions about campaigning, fundraising and the party’s ability to win back public confidence.
Some Labor figures reportedly rejected the criticism and questioned why party officials were being targeted when only the Premier could change the government’s position on calls for a royal commission into the construction industry.
The closed-door intervention has exposed the political difficulty confronting senior ministers: they are publicly defending the government’s enforcement-based approach while privately facing mounting anxiety about whether that response is convincing voters.
Mr Carbines said he was holding regular discussions with Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Mike Bush about the work and powers of Taskforce Hawk.
“We have a track record of delivering changes that the police need to make sure they can be agile and nimble in being able to disrupt and dismantle organised crime,” he said.
“I have no announcements to make today, but clearly we are always working with Victoria Police on what more we can do to support them in their work to hold organised crime to account.”
Taskforce Hawk investigates alleged criminal activity connected to Victoria’s construction industry, including organised crime figures, outlaw motorcycle gangs, financial offences and the use of intimidation.
The operation began in 2024 and was elevated to a taskforce in 2025 following further allegations of violent and serious criminal conduct. Detectives recently executed warrants in an investigation into alleged false accounting and financial offending by a company said to be operating as a debt collector under the guise of industrial relations work.
Chief Commissioner Bush has previously said investigators face difficulties securing evidence from people who have allegedly experienced violence or intimidation within the construction sector.
He said police were working to reassure potential witnesses but warned that building cases against senior organised crime figures would be a long process.
The Allan government has repeatedly rejected calls for a royal commission, arguing that police investigations, stronger regulatory powers and action against labour-hire operators can deliver results more quickly.
In Parliament last month, Ms Allan said Taskforce Hawk had laid more than 88 charges and that the Labour Hire Authority had cancelled more than 150 construction industry licences. She acknowledged there was a culture within parts of the industry that needed to be cleaned up.
The government also points to a formal review of the relationship between Victorian government agencies, construction companies and unions. The government accepted all the review’s recommendations either in full or in principle, while directing criminal matters to Victoria Police and public-sector corruption allegations to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.
However, the controversy has continued to grow following allegations that organised crime figures, bikie associates and corrupt operators gained influence on major public construction projects through intimidation, fraud and union-linked networks.
Ms Allan has acknowledged that criminals operated on some Victorian construction sites and described violence, intimidation and organised criminal behaviour as unacceptable. She has nevertheless maintained that another inquiry would delay immediate enforcement action.
The distinction between actual criminal prosecutions and the wider perception of corruption appears to have been central to Mr Carbines’ reported concerns.
Police may continue investigating individual offences, but Labor MPs must confront a broader political question: whether voters believe the government has fully accounted for what occurred across projects overseen by Labor during more than a decade in office.
Ms Allan previously held responsibility for major infrastructure and transport portfolios during much of the Big Build’s expansion, making the controversy particularly damaging for her leadership.
The Premier has said she intends to remain Labor leader and “see it through” to the election, despite reports of internal dissatisfaction. Earlier polling indicated substantial public concern about her leadership, including among Labor supporters, although no formal leadership challenge had emerged.
Labor MP Vicki Ward sought to downplay suggestions of open conflict following the Ballarat retreat.
“As you’d expect with any group, there’s a lot of different views in the room, and we talk, we share our views, and we walk out united,” she said.
Ms Ward denied the meeting had been “testy” and said no Labor MPs had raised a royal commission during the discussions.
She also expressed disappointment that confidential caucus discussions had been leaked.
“We’ve always been a very disciplined party,” she said.
“That’s part of our culture.”
The leaking of Mr Carbines’ comments, however, has itself become evidence of deteriorating discipline inside the government.
The Police Minister is one of Labor’s most senior parliamentary figures, serving not only as a cabinet minister but also as Leader of the House. A public refusal to discuss private criticism is standard caucus practice, but his decision not to deny the substance of the reports will add to speculation about unease within cabinet and the broader Labor caucus.
Opposition business manager James Newbury seized on the dispute, claiming ministers were abandoning the Premier and announcing that the opposition intended to move a no-confidence motion when Parliament returned.
“Another Labor cabinet minister has turned their back on the Premier,” Mr Newbury said.
“They know that the Premier has got it wrong in not cleaning up corruption in this state.”
The motion is unlikely to remove the government unless Labor MPs cross the floor, but it will force government members to publicly support Ms Allan and her handling of the controversy.
It will also give the opposition an opportunity to place reported private criticism from Labor MPs alongside their public votes in Parliament.
The government remains focused on demonstrating that Taskforce Hawk, Victoria Police, IBAC and the Labour Hire Authority have sufficient powers to investigate criminality and misconduct.
But the dispute involving Mr Carbines shows that enforcement statistics alone may not have resolved concerns within Labor about the political damage.
His public position remains aligned with the Premier. His reported private warning was that the government must do more to win back trust.
With Victorians due to vote on November 28, Labor now has little more than four months to reconcile those two positions and convince voters that it has both confronted wrongdoing in the construction industry and taken responsibility for how it was allowed to develop.
Support our Journalism
No-nonsense journalism. No paywalls. Whether you’re in Australia, the UK, Canada, the USA, or India, you can support The Australia Today by taking a paid subscription via Patreon or donating via PayPal — and help keep honest, fearless journalism alive.
