Shocking double standard as CFMEU’s bad behaviour left to ‘fester’

A peaceful protest will see you slapped with a $5000 fine, but intimidate or standover workers on a construction site – nothing to see here, writes state political editor Hayden Johnson.

Spooking a Queensland politician with a peaceful climate protest will see you slapped with a $5000 fine, but intimidate or standover workers on a construction site – nothing to see here.

On the same day climate granny Lee Coaldrake received an eye-watering fine for her 2022 disruption of parliament, Queensland Premier Steven Miles threw wet paper at the battalions of militant CFMEU members picketing Cross River Rail sites across Brisbane.

Damning allegations face the union’s Victoria and New South Wales branches and anybody in Queensland’s construction sector will argue the same thing is happening here.

Those affected by the CFMEU are petrified of speaking out, however, and state government ministers continue to bury their heads in the sand.

It took 19 hours – from Monday afternoon until Tuesday morning – for Mr Miles to have a positive change of heart and reveal he’ll stop meeting the CFMEU.

What changed remains a mystery.

CFMEU members pictured blocking Cross River Rail workers from entering the Roma Street station worksite. Picture: David Clark.

The premier finally took baby steps towards acknowledging there’s a problem on construction sites in Queensland, but he’s wrongly left it to Victoria Police to find out for sure.

Completing the tough guy routine was a promise to stop taking donations from the CFMEU – for a little while at least – until all this blows over.

This government still struggles to call out the CFMEU’s poor behaviour after allowing it to fester for almost a decade.

Deputy Premier Cameron Dick is more aware than anybody about the militant union’s brazen tactics on construction sites – his Australian Workers Union delegates often face the wrath of their lawlessness.

Yet when asked for his views on the conduct of the CFMEU on Tuesday Queensland’s deputy sheriff could hardly muster the energy.

“We expect the best possible behaviour from everyone in Queensland,” he said.

Inspiring stuff.