Organised crime was out of control and The Age helped break its back. Here’s how Victoria can do it again

July 14, 2026 — 3:45pm

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Reading the articles written by Nick McKenzie and others about the alleged corruption and gangland infiltration in the CFMEU reminds me of Victoria in the late 1970s. At that time, there was evidence also largely exposed by The Age of violence and corruption surrounding the Federated Ship Painters and Dockers Union.

After extensive investigations over the past two years, The Age has exposed underworld figures working with the CFMEU, extortion, drug trafficking, sexual exploitation and far more. There have been estimates that some $15 billion of taxpayer money has been added to the cost of major infrastructure projects. As a lawyer who spent more than 50 years as The Age’s legal counsel, these shocking revelations bring to mind how we’ve broken the back of corruption in the past.

Such allegations should be thoroughly investigated by a royal commission with extensive powers.

This year the serious allegations around the Big Build have continued to escalate. There are allegations of corruption to mind-boggling........

© The Age