Former adviser to Daniel Andrews summoned by Victorian infrastructure royal commission amid secretive document delays
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A former senior aide to ex-premier Daniel Andrews has been compelled to appear before the inquiry after the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority was accused of dragging its feet, withholding timely records and redacting material in a case raising fresh concerns about opacity in major public-infrastructure projects.
The Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (Vida) has come under sharp criticism for failing to hand over timely and complete documents to the royal commission investigating the integrity of major public-infrastructure projects. Counsel assisting the commission, Chris Young KC, said Vida repeatedly sought extensions and eventually produced a document two days late that included improperly redacted handwritten notes connected to the Gap Road level-crossing removal in Sunbury.
Young also said Vida had, for the first time, disclosed a set of text messages involving the Premier’s Private Office, former Andrews adviser Matthew Toner and former Vida chief of staff Matthew Phelan. The commissioner, Christopher Kourakis, confirmed that Toner and Phelan have been issued compulsory notices to appear before the commission.
Young warned that failure to comply could lead to imprisonment, underscoring the commission’s statutory powers under the Inquiries Act. He criticised state agencies for only engaging properly when forced to do so, even as Premier Ben Carroll publicly backs the commission’s work.
Vida’s legal representative, Richard Knowles KC, said the agency would respond promptly to any further document requests and pledged cooperation with the commission, while apologising for any shortcomings.
The hearing also heard from John Holland representatives, who said the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission in 2022 left the construction sector with fewer tools to respond to breaches of the Fair Work Act, and that dealing with the CFMEU in Victoria is widely seen as more difficult than in other states.
The commission’s inquiry continues.