Portfolio — 15 August 2026

The dominant discourse from the Member for Nepean in this window runs on two distinct tracks: a sharp accountability challenge directed at the Big Build program's contracting practices, and an equally deliberate engagement with the volunteer and veteran communities that define the district's civic life.

The Member for Nepean raised serious allegations in the Assembly about Elite Roads, a company owned and operated by Deon Coote [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s031]. The Member told the Assembly that Coote carries a criminal conviction for illegal waste dumping and that reports exist of payments to underworld figures, yet Elite Roads continues to receive Victorian road project contracts.

The Member characterised the Big Build program as having cultivated a contracting culture secured through "bullying, bribes, and blackmail", and argued that Elite Roads has delivered little value for public money [TA-260730-vichns-06b70b591935:s031]. The observations flagged by the Stage 1 pass also note references to Peninsula Link as a specific project context for these allegations — a road infrastructure corridor directly relevant to Nepean — though the records surface this detail without full elaboration.

The allegations, if pursued, carry implications across the Transport and Roads, Environment, and Planning domains given the combination of criminal environmental offending, contract procurement, and organised crime payments the Member invoked.

On the community engagement track, the Member for Nepean attended ceremonies at Rosebud RSL to honour Bruce Turner, a 40-year member who served 26 years in the Australian Army and spent 25 years as a military compensation advocate [TA-260813-vichns-ff06af361824:s030]. The Member then visited the Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad and the Red Hill CFA to acknowledge their ongoing service [TA-260813-vichns-ff06af361824:s031].

The Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad has operated marine search and rescue across Port Phillip Bay and the Bass Strait coast since 1967, while the Red Hill CFA has responded to more than 100 incidents annually since 1940 [TA-260813-vichns-ff06af361824:s031]. Both organisations reflect the district's geographic character — a coastal and semi-rural peninsula where volunteer emergency services carry substantial operational load.