Across multiple inquiries, reports, and economic analyses, the CFMEU’s conduct on Victoria’s Big Build is consistently linked to higher construction costs, lower productivity, and systemic rorting that added billions to project budgets.
The most authoritative estimate comes from the Watson Review, which found the CFMEU’s behaviour imposed at least $15 billion in excess costs on Victorian taxpayers, equating to $5,000-plus per Victorian household.
The Victorian government has accepted the recommendation of a parliamentary inquiry that it give the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission the power to “follow the dollar”.
