Reports tie Boyer-linked firm to prison and housing work
Fresh reports about a Victorian prison expansion have added pressure to the state’s $109 billion Big Build before the November election. At the centre is a plastering company linked to underworld and bikie figures Zack and Jake Boyer.
The Age reported on 16th July 2026 that the company won a subcontract on the $94 million, 94-bed expansion of Hopkins Correctional Centre in Ararat. It also worked on the $44 million St Andrews social housing project that Premier Jacinta Allan opened in her electorate.
According to The Age, the business secured CFMEU backing through a union-endorsed Enterprise Bargaining Agreement. The masthead also reported that a union organiser was accused of using his influence to promote the Boyer brothers’ company on major construction sites.
Jane Foreman’s royal commission demand
In June 2026, Family First’s Jane Foreman called for a royal commission into the Big Build. She acted after former IBAC commissioner Robert Redlich and former Victorian ombudsman Deborah Glass both argued that only a royal commission could expose the full extent of corruption in the programme.
Foreman said the latest allegations showed why Victoria needed stronger checks in the Legislative Council: “We called for a royal commission when two of this state’s most credible integrity figures said enough was enough.”
Separately, Family First has raised concerns about waste on major projects. The party pointed to Indigenous artwork for Suburban Rail Loop tunnel boring machines worth upwards of $130 million, even though the machines will stay buried underground for the life of the project.
Meanwhile, Victoria Police have said they need changes to the law before they can properly investigate alleged wrongdoing on the Big Build. Officers have also said many witnesses are too afraid to come forward.
Voters in Victoria go to the polls in November 2026. Family First is seeking to elect its first members to the Legislative Council while using the Boyer allegations, police concerns and the royal commission push to argue for tighter oversight.
