SA premier refers $15b project to ICAC over bikie 'infiltration' fears

The South Australian government has taken the extraordinary step of referring its flagship infrastructure project to the corruption watchdog over fears of bikie "infiltration" in subcontracting works.The $15 billion Torrens to Darlington road project has been rocked in recent days by what the government has described as reports an outlaw gang member "attempted to take an interest" in a since-suspended company that had been contracted to work on the project.In a statement, Premier Peter Malinauskas said while he had seen no evidence organised crime "gained access" to the project, he had written to the state's ICAC commissioner, Emma Townsend.Mr Malinauskas said he had asked the ICAC to examine integrity safeguards surrounding the project as part of an "evaluation of the project's procurement and contracting arrangements".The move comes after pressure from the state opposition, which last week raised concerns about major projects being hijacked by criminals.The government said such an ICAC investigation could examine "safeguards against improper influence, conflicts of interest and infiltration by organised crime"."Given the scale and importance of this project, we have a responsibility to make sure the right safeguards are in place and working as they should," Mr Malinauskas said in a statement on Monday morning."That's why I've written to ICAC to request the Commissioner consider an independent evaluation."There is no evidence before the state government that organised crime has gained access to the Torrens to Darlington project."South Australia has been fortunate not to witness the sort of behaviour on major projects that has been seen on the eastern seaboard. I'm determined to keep it that way."The government said it would be up to the ICAC to determine whether it investigated the matter.It said it had requested ICAC's involvement as a precautionary measure to ensure taxpayer funds did not end up in the hands of organised crime."An independent evaluation would provide additional assurance that these safeguards are working effectively in practice and can identify and respond to attempts to exploit the project for corrupt purposes," the government said.Last week, opposition spokesperson Ben Hood raised concerns about outlaw motorcycle gang members' possible involvement in project works."South Australia can't afford this and have its major projects hijacked," he said.With a price tag of more than $15 billion — an amount that is being jointly funded by the state and federal governments — the Torrens to Darlington transport corridor upgrade has been described as the biggest-ever infrastructure project in SA."Our track record of keeping criminal elements out of our projects has set us apart from other states," Infrastructure and Transport Minister Joe Szakacs said."We have zero tolerance for criminal behaviour, intimidation, or violence on our projects and have strong requirements and protections in place to enforce this."