‘Not surprised’: Prior warnings on T2D organised crime infiltration
“Unsavoury characters” are “like a moth to a flame” for SA’s biggest construction projects, the boss of the industry’s peak body says over T2D bikie controversy.
Master Builders SA CEO Will Frogley says he has been warning Premier Peter Malinauskas and the state government about the threat of organised crime to SA’s biggest-ever infrastructure project “over the last few years”.
Projects of the scale of Torrens to Darlington – a $15.4 billion infrastructure build – attract “unsavoury characters”, he said, with pools of money vulnerable to bikies and those involved in organised crime.
This came to a head last week when it was revealed that a member of the outlawed Comanchero bikie gang was involved with court proceedings from a contractor working on the Torrens to Darlington project.
The lawyer of Unley constituent and Career Boss Australia shareholder Robert Cammarano reportedly raised the concerns in the office of new Labor minister Alice Rolls on September 11.
Speaking this morning on ABC Radio, Rolls said it “would not be the appropriate course” for her to tell the Premier about what she was told at the meeting; rather, she informed Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Szakacs.
According to The Advertiser, Cammarano’s house was shot at, and his businesses suffered three fire bombings after he won the T2D contract in mid-2025.
Szakacs has been facing calls to step down over the controversy, with Liberal Opposition leader Ashton Hurn saying he should be sacked over claims he knew about the issue before it emerged in the media.
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Frogley said he was “not at all surprised” by the news.
He said that when the Victorian CFMEU – a blue-collar trade union representing construction workers and more – took over the SA branch, there was a “very clear and present danger… because the Victorian industry is notorious for its crime and corruption”.
He cited Geoffrey Watson SC’s Royal Commission report into the Victorian branch of the CFMEU, which found that under secretary John Setka the organisation became a “crime syndicate” that tapped into major Victorian government infrastructure projects.
“This is the largest infrastructure project in SA history at more than $15 billion,” Frogley said.
“With that type of money around, it’s always going to be a target for organised crime who want a piece of that pie.
“The reality is, massive infrastructure projects are like moths to a flame for some unsavoury characters.”
The MBA boss has been outspoken in recent years over the threat of organised crime on the state’s sector.
This had not done him any favours, Frogley saying he and his team “have been subject to vandalism, abuse, threats” as a result.
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Frogley feared the state’s booming construction industry – responsible for $22 billion of work in the past financial year and employs more than 90,000 South Australians – was at risk.
“These matters shouldn’t just concern people in the construction industry, they should concern every South Australian who takes pride in our state,” he said.
“Any massive infrastructure project in SA is a potential target. I’m not aware of any criminal activity on the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, but it’s every large infrastructure project in SA.”
Frogley said the SA government procurement rules “need to be reviewed and updated”.
“This is why you’ve got to be vigilant and keep on track with how things are as of today,” he said.
“For example, a business or a union setup that might have been legitimate at the time it was first looked at, that might no longer be the case. You have to constantly keep an eye on things.”
He was also concerned about how the SA government defines a “South Australian business”, saying anyone can “come over here, set up a satellite office here, employ a few people for a project, then shut up shop and go back to Victoria”.
Yesterday, South Australian Independent Commission Against Corruption Commissioner Emma Townsend confirmed she would “conduct an evaluation” of the Infrastructure and Transport Department.
Townsend saied the evaluation would focus on “the controls and processes involved in the procurement and contract management of major infrastructure projects”.
“This will include the frameworks and safeguards needed to protect against infiltration by organised crime,” she said.
Frogley said this was welcome.
“We’ve already seen that there is infiltration on the largest infrastructure project in SA history,” he said.
“For very clear evidence of just how bad things can get, you only need to look over the border at Victoria.”
The state government was contacted for comment.
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