Fears for CBD worksites after building permits found to be frauds

THE uncovering of fraudulent building permits has sparked an internal audit at the City of Melbourne and Victoria Police have been called in.

CFMEU Grocon protest March through the city. The crowd marches along Swanston St, with the site of the wall collapse in the ...

THE uncovering of fraudulent building permits has sparked an internal audit at the City of Melbourne.

Victoria Police have also been spoken to about numerous legal breaches believed to involve fake road closure permits.

The altered permits were originally brought to the attention of council officials during a bitter civil legal action in late 2012.

The investigation, which began in January and is expected to conclude within two months, is looking into whether contractors’ activities are consistent with their permits.

Senior union officials warn uncertainty about permits could add to dangers on some big city centre sites.

“It is a major concern that fraudulent permits may be used for projects in Melbourne CBD that involve some of the biggest construction firms in the country,” CFMEU Victorian assistant secretary Shaun Reardon said.

But City of Melbourne spokesman Kathryn Hall said the council was “not aware” who altered the documents that led to the investigation, despite having been made aware of the wrongdoing in November 2012.

At the time, the City of Melbourne also spoke with Victoria Police but decided against a formal referral of the matter.

“There is no evidence the alteration was carried out to defraud the council, or even acted upon,” Ms Hall said.

“An immediate investigation took place and determined that they did not originate from our systems or officers.”

But following the initial investigation, the City of Melbourne this year decided a further audit was needed to ensure contractors’ activities matched the permits that had been issued.

[e-mail]