Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has today moved to restore public confidence in the state’s multibillion-dollar infrastructure program by appointing Melbourne underworld figure Mick Gatto as an entirely independent investigator into alleged Big Build rorts.

Announcing the decision, the Premier said Mr Gatto was selected after an exhaustive, semi-transparent process.

“What we need is someone completely removed from the system that can offer an independent assessment of what has gone on here. Unfortunately, we don’t know anyone who fits that description, so we’ve gone with Mick,” a Labor spokesperson said.

“Could we have appointed a retired judge? Yes. But judges tend to write long reports. Mick tends to resolve matters before they get to the writing stage, which is handy,” the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson denied that Gatto’s long-standing relationships with unions, developers, and construction bosses would compromise his independence.

“If anything, it helps. When everyone already knows you, trusts you, and owes you favours, it really speeds things up,” the spokesperson said.

She emphasized the importance of asking tough questions like, ‘Are we all comfortable calling this an administrative oversight?’ and ‘Would it be easier if we just moved on?’

“We’ll be able to get the answers we want. Not necessarily the answers Victorians want, but certainly the ones that we want,” she concluded.