Victorian businessman charged in massive fake-qualification scheme targeting Big Build sites
Jake Calvert was charged with hundreds of false qualification documents linked to a scheme that supplied bogus certificates to workers on Victoria’s Big Build projects.
Taskforce Hawk of Victoria Police charged former AFL prospect Jake Calvert with 232 offences for creating false construction and workplace qualification documents. Investigators say Calvert paid a syndicate led by Jack Younes to provide bogus traffic-management and other certificates to labour-hire workers on the state’s Big Build and commercial projects, potentially compromising safety. The scandal follows warnings to federal regulator Australian Skills Quality Authority in 2023 and to Worksafe Victoria in July 2025, yet Younes remains at large.
Calvert, recently dismissed from Top Up and owner of Archer Hire, is also under scrutiny for alleged inducements to CFMEU officials and ties to ex-bikie Tyrone Bell. Shadow attorney-general James Newbury called for the royal commission’s terms to be expanded to examine Worksafe’s inaction, while Worksafe issued a safety alert urging verification of qualifications. The government thanked police and said the commission will make system-wide recommendations.
Why it matters
Fake construction certificates threaten worker safety and expose regulatory gaps in major public projects.
In this story
