The Victorian government has tabled legislation intended to strengthen investigations into alleged corruption in state building projects, as it races against the caretaker timeline. The measures would expand the powers available to the Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria and establish a proposed Office of the Special Prosecutor.
Expanded powers for the Royal Commission
Under the proposed changes, the Royal Commission would be able to exercise compulsion powers outside formal hearings. That would allow it to order people to turn over documents or present written statements as part of its investigation into major public and civil infrastructure construction projects. The legislation would also make non-compliance with those orders a criminal offence. For procurement participants, the mechanism matters because it links an integrity investigation to enforceable demands for information, rather than relying only on voluntary cooperation or evidence given during a hearing.
A proposed route from evidence to enforcement
The legislation would create an Office of the Special Prosecutor with power to refer evidence from the Royal Commission to Victoria Police, Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog and state and Commonwealth regulatory bodies. The proposed office would therefore provide a route for material gathered in a public-project investigation to reach agencies with different enforcement or regulatory roles. The source does not say that any individual or organisation has been found to have acted corruptly, nor does it describe any referral as having already occurred. The measures concern the powers and pathways that would apply if the legislation takes effect.
Timing and significance for public construction
The government is pursuing the legislation against a caretaker timeline, making the timing of its parliamentary push part of the story. Its stated focus is corruption in state building projects, an area in which public buyers, contractors and other participants can be affected by the way investigations obtain and share evidence. The proposed framework separates several functions: the Royal Commission would investigate and compel information, the Special Prosecutor’s office would refer evidence, and police, anti-corruption and regulatory bodies could consider that material within their own roles. The source does not state whether the legislation has passed.
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | Victoria |
| Legislation status | Tabled by the Victorian government |
| Investigation body | Royal Commission into the Integrity of Major Public and Civil Infrastructure Construction Projects in Victoria |
| Proposed new body | Office of the Special Prosecutor |
| Compulsion powers | Proposed for use outside Royal Commission hearings |
| Non-compliance | Failure to turn over documents or present written statements would be a criminal offence |
| Potential referral recipients | Victoria Police, Victoria’s anti-corruption watchdog, and state and Commonwealth regulatory bodies |
Non-compliance with orders to turn over documents, or present written statements will be a criminal offence.
WHY IT MATTERS
The proposal illustrates how public construction investigations can be given stronger information-gathering powers and a formal path for sharing evidence. That can affect contractors and other project participants even before any allegation is proven, because orders for documents or written statements would carry criminal consequences if the legislation takes effect.
Reported from themandarin.com.au, 2026-09-08. The Tender Wire is published by Otnox.
