Tuesday 13 October 2026
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Former AFL prospect charged over 232 fake Big Build qualifications

Jake Calvert faces 232 charges as Opposition vows to expand royal commission to examine regulator failures

By LineZotpaper
Published
Updated
Read Time2 min
Sources4 outlets
Former AFL prospect Jake Calvert has been charged with 232 counts of making false documents as part of a police taskforce investigation into the distribution of hundreds of fake building qualifications across Victoria's Big Build projects, sparking opposition calls for a broadened royal commission.

Victorian businessman Jake Calvert was charged on Tuesday by Victoria Police’s Taskforce Hawk with 232 counts of making a false document, following an investigation into an alleged scheme that distributed hundreds of fake qualification certificates on major state infrastructure sites.

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

According to the reports, federal regulator the Australian Skills Quality Authority was tipped off about Younes’ operation in 2023, and state regulator WorkSafe Victoria received a further warning in July 2025, yet the scheme allegedly continued.

The police breakthrough has prompted Victoria’s state opposition to commit to expanding the terms of reference of the Carroll government’s 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 WorkSafe or other agencies.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The alleged distribution of fake qualifications on Big Build sites could compromise the safety of workers and the public if untrained individuals operated heavy machinery or performed critical roles.
  • The failure of two regulators (ASQA and WorkSafe) to act on warnings raises serious questions about oversight of construction industry credentials.
  • The case could become a major political issue as the state opposition seeks to broaden the royal commission, putting pressure on the Carroll government.

Background

The Big Build is Victoria’s multibillion-dollar infrastructure program encompassing major transport and construction projects. The alleged fake certificate scheme was first exposed a week before Calvert’s charges, with reports that certificates were sold in car parks and directly to workers. Jake Calvert is a former AFL prospect who later worked as a construction industry manager. The scheme involves false documents purporting to show completion of mandatory training required for site work.

Key Perspectives

Victorian Opposition: Sees the scandal as evidence of systemic regulatory failure and wants the royal commission’s scope expanded to cover qualifications, arguing it may have gone undetected for years. Victorian Government (Carroll government): Has commissioned a royal commission into the building industry but its current terms of reference may not include the qualifications scandal; pressure to extend them is mounting. Regulators (WorkSafe Victoria, ASQA): Received early warnings about Younes but did not stop the alleged distribution; questions remain about why no action was taken sooner.

What to Watch

  • Whether the royal commission’s terms of reference are expanded, either by the government or a future opposition if it wins office.
  • Any further arrests by Taskforce Hawk, including possible charges against Jack Younes.
  • WorkSafe’s response to the scandal and potential reforms to credential verification on construction sites.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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