Former adviser to Daniel Andrews summoned by Victorian infrastructure royal commission
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A former senior aide to ex-premier Daniel Andrews has been issued a compulsory notice to appear before the inquiry into major infrastructure projects after the Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority disclosed delayed and redacted documents.
The Victorian Infrastructure Delivery Authority (Vida) has been criticised for failing to provide 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 supplied a document two days late that contained improperly redacted handwritten notes related to the Gap Road level-crossing removal in Sunbury.
Young also noted that Vida disclosed, for the first time, a series 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 non-compliance could result in imprisonment, emphasizing the commission’s statutory powers under the Inquiries Act. He criticised state agencies for engaging with the inquiry only when compelled, despite Premier Ben Carroll’s public support for the commission’s work.
Vida’s legal representative, Richard Knowles KC, said the agency will respond promptly to further document requests and expressed a commitment to assist the commission, apologising for any shortcomings.
The hearing also included testimony from John Holland representatives, who said the abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission in 2022 left the construction sector with limited tools to address Fair Work Act breaches, and that dealing with the CFMEU in Victoria is perceived as more challenging than in other states.
The commission’s inquiry continues.