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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.
Outgoing Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has resisted calls for the state government to hold a royal commission into corruption in the Big Build program.
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About the author
Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.
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