By Sam McClure
The Carlton Football Club will not cut ties with former long-time club sponsor and business associate MC Labour, despite allegations the company had links to gangland figures and had been accused of wrongdoing.
The construction company has been a significant contributor to the club, acting as co-major sponsor of the AFLW team for several years. It has poured millions of dollars into the club in the past two decades, including a two-year period when Carlton’s home ground, now Ikon Park, was known as MC Labour Park.
MC Labour was a major sponsor of Carlton’s AFLW side for years.Credit: Getty Images
MC Labour had naming rights to the club’s home ground in 2007 and 2008 and continued to officially sponsor the club until 2022.
Carlton still use the company for security and traffic management at Ikon Park for practice matches, open training sessions and AFLW games. MC Labour signs can be seen in and around the stadium.
Earlier this month, this masthead revealed MC Labour – a major player in Victoria’s construction sector – was implicated in misconduct surrounding the Victorian government’s Metro Tunnel project.
The labour hire firm has been accused of executing “ghost shifts”, when subcontractors file fake invoices for shifts that were never worked and which increase the overall project cost to the taxpayer.
But when questioned on Monday, Carlton said it would not be cutting ties with the company.
“The club does not act on allegations but is aware of and is monitoring the current situation,” it told this masthead in a statement.
A spokesperson for MC Labour stood by the company’s track record and affirmed it would keep working with the Blues.
“MC Labour has contributed to several Carlton initiatives over the years. We also provide traffic management and minor security services for the club from time to time,” the spokesperson said.
“MC Labour has had a long history of supporting the Carlton Football Club and will continue to do so.”
In response to the reports about the firm’s conduct, the spokesperson said: “MC Labour has a proud history of delivering high-quality labour to support critical infrastructure and construction projects, a commitment we have upheld for more than 30 years.
“We take our role in these essential industries seriously and operate with integrity, professionalism and a strong commitment to compliance.
“We want to make it clear that MC Labour will only fulfil a labour shift that has been properly authorised by a third-party partner. We rely on information provided to us in good faith.
“Despite the high profile of this issue, we have not been contacted by any regulator or government body regarding a formal investigation into our practices. However, we remain fully committed to transparency and stand ready to cooperate with any official inquiries as required.”
MC Labour has been previously linked to known underworld figures, including notorious ex-bikie Toby Mitchell.
It was involved in the club’s “Carlton Respects” program for several years, hosting seminars and roadshows that promoted gender equality for the prevention of violence against women.
The construction company was the co-major sponsor of Carlton’s inaugural AFLW side in 2016, with branding appearing on the back of the jumper and on banner heads for all media conferences.
When the club announced it was extending its sponsorship in 2018, a MC Labour Services spokesperson said: “Just as the AFLW competition continues to grow, we are also driving to create opportunities and support women in a predominantly male-dominated construction industry”.
Earlier this month, the government launched an investigation into MC Labour’s alleged ghost shifts, saying it would be referred to Victoria Police for investigation.
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