Charges laid over hundreds of ‘fake’ Big Build qualifications

A Victorian businessman has been charged over his alleged role in a racket involving hundreds of fake qualifications distributed across Big Build sites, potentially endangering the safety of workers and the public.

The breakthrough by a police taskforce has prompted the state opposition to commit to expanding the terms of reference of the Carroll government commissioned royal commission into the building industry if it wins government to examine the qualifications scandal and how it may have operated for years without detection by the state’s health and safety regulator WorkSafe or other agencies.

On Tuesday, former AFL prospect-turned construction industry manager Jake Calvert was charged by the Victoria Police’s Taskforce Hawk with 232 counts of making a false document.

The charges come a week after The Age revealed that NSW conman Jack Younes, who also goes by several aliases, has for at least three years been distributing hundreds or even thousands of fake building qualification certificates to Victorian construction firms and workers, including those operating on the Big Build.

This was despite federal regulator, the Australian Skills Quality Authority, being tipped off about Younes’ operation in 2023 and state regulator Worksafe Victoria receiving a further warning about Younes’ operation in July 2025.

Younes — who admitted forging qualification certificates when he was recently confronted by The Age — was still operating freely as recently as last month and has not been arrested.

After returning from Queensland, Calvert was confronted by detectives on Tuesday morning over allegations he paid the Younes syndicate to supply traffic management and other building industry qualification certificates to workers across key Big Build and commercial construction sites.

The charging of Calvert highlights a far less scrutinised but still systemic alleged corruption and safety issue on the Big Build.

Previously, media and police investigations have focussed on allegations that gangland figures systemically infiltrated the Big Build, including bikies who obtained roles as CFMEU health and safety delegates in a manner that may have also jeopardised worksite safety.

Calvert, who was recently sacked from his role as an operations manager for Big Build labour hire firm Top Up and who runs his own construction firm, Archer Hire, allegedly sits at the juncture of both scandals.

While his charges relate to suspicions he obtained dozens of false certificates for labour hire workers he supplied to Big Build sites, he has been separately raided by police over allegations he sought to give inducements to CFMEU officials in Queensland through a serving Victorian CFMEU official.

Detectives have also probed Calvert’s relationship with ex-bikie boss and former CFMEU delegate Tyrone Bell – who is also facing charges of using false qualification certificates.

Prior to entering the construction sector, Calvert was touted as a possible AFL draft pick and played in the VFL.

On Tuesday evening, shadow attorney-general James Newbury said the latest police action, along with long-standing concerns about systemic lapses in health and safety on construction sites, needed to be specifically examined by the royal commission.

“Organised crime and bikies have been running rampant across government projects. Victorians deserve to know why our workplace safety regulator Worksafe has been missing in action,” Newbury said.

“A Liberal and Nationals government will strengthen the terms of reference for the royal commission into the Big Build, to include investigating Worksafe and why it has been sitting on its hands for years.”

Newbury also said the chair of Worksafe, former Labor minister Bob Cameron, had presided over the inaction.

In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, Worksafe said it has been “notified of a number of individuals allegedly seeking to obtain fraudulent qualification certificates, which may have been used to demonstrate competencies they do not have”.

“Fraudulent qualifications could pose a health and safety risk if a duty holder relies on them as evidence of skills in a particular area – such as first aid, implementing traffic management plans or working safely at heights – that they do not actually have.”

WorkSafe chief health and safety officer Sam Jenkin warned the agency would “take compliance or enforcement action against anyone who puts their co-workers or others in a workplace at risk by working in an area they have knowingly and fraudulently obtained false qualifications for.”

But he also said the agency was “limited in the legal action it can take in relation to this type of fraud.”

WorkSafe has also issued an industry-wide safety alert about the use of fake certificates, urging employers to verify records.

A Victorian government spokesman said the government thanked the police for uncovering the “rort” and that the royal commission would investigate and make system-wide recommendations.

“Every agency has to be vigilant in using its powers when there are reports of grift on government-funded construction sites,” the statement said.

In a statement, Taskforce Hawk confirmed the charging of Calvert “as part of an investigation into the production and distribution of false construction and other workplace certifications and qualifications”.

“Police will allege the man facilitated false workplace education qualifications. The investigation, which commenced earlier this year, remains ongoing.”

Get the day’s breaking news, entertainment ideas and a long read to enjoy. Sign up to receive our Evening Edition newsletter.