Rail workers falsified timesheets to boost their pay while on the $14bn Metro Tunnel project, the national safety regulator has found.
Evidence of Big Build fraud was uncovered during an investigation into “ghost shifts” and other alleged multimillion-dollar rorts on Victorian building sites revealed by the Herald Sun last year.
The Big Build was rocked by the allegations, detailed by whistleblowers, which included construction firms being billed for shifts that workers did not fill or never completed.
Rail safety workers provided by labour hire company Morson International were also alleged to have acted in roles for which they were unqualified to fill, sparking fears that the scam could have turned deadly.
Evidence of Big Build fraud was uncovered during a probe into ‘ghost shifts’ on Victorian building sites revealed by the Herald Sun last year.
The Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator, Metro Trains, and Metro Tunnel builder John Holland all launched probes once the bombshell revelations were published.
The ONRSR investigation, which was specifically looking into allegations relating to labour Morson International provided and “potentially unsafe working practices”, has now been finalised. It found timesheets were rorted.
But it says underqualified workers were not on “live” networks.
“The ONRSR investigation has found no substantiated evidence of breaches of Rail Safety National Law that presented ‘live’ rail safety risks,” a spokesman said.
“The investigations did identify instances of rail safety workers acting above their qualification level between January 31 and March 2, 2023.
“However, it should be noted that all available evidence points to these instances relating only to the falsification of timesheets for financial reward.”
Metro Trains and John Holland are yet to release any findings from their investigations. Picture: Craig Hughes
Metro Trains and John Holland are yet to release any findings from their investigations, which could lead to legal action aimed at companies or individuals who orchestrated the apparent scams.
Spokesmen for the two companies said they had no updates to provide.
Source: Herald Sun
