Journalist Georgie Chumbley slams CFMEU abuse, Premier says workers won’t be paid

Premier David Crisafulli has lashed out at the CFMEU over two days of protests in inner-Brisbane this week, including the ugly abuse of a number of female journalists.

Premier David Crisafulli has lashed out the CFMEU over two days of protests in inner-Brisbane this week, including the ugly abuse of number of female journalists.

On Saturday morning he told journalists that workers involved in the “unsanctioned” protests would not be paid.

One journalist was labelled a “media b-tch”, and has since spoken about the hostility that greeted her as she tried to do her job.

Sunrise reporter Georgie Chumbley was yelled at by union members during a second day of action in Bowen Hills.

Ms Chumbley told the ABC the verbal abuse was shocking. “They were yelling at us, pretty much verbally abusing us, yelling at us tell the truth, tell the truth,” she said.

“It was all female reporters there this morning and we were surrounded by majority grown men screaming at us while we were trying to do our job.

“I also got called an abusive term, I know another journalist was sworn at. Things really did heat up throughout the morning.”

“Then it became quite hostile and it seemed the mood really shifted towards berating the media while we were just trying to do our jobs.”

Channel 7 journalist Georgie Chumbley surrounded by CFMEU protesters. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Female television journalists attempting to film the protest were surrounded by fist-pumping people chanting: “Tell the truth”.

One protester yelled to the speakers that he couldn’t hear “cause there’s a media b*tch talking”. He was told by organisers to watch his language and show respect.

Mr Crisafulli on Saturday said those workers who attended the protest would not be paid.

“Every leader has to call it out, every leader, because otherwise it will be more of the same, and these individuals will reinvent themselves hiding under the shadows of other banners,” he said.

“And it does a great discredit for the credible people in the union movement that you have one union with a handful of marauding people who are destroying the fabric of who we are as a state.”

He said the protest was “unsanctioned”. “And therefore people who participated in it won’t get paid,” he said.

“What is more important, though, is that the people (behind) the marauding, thuggish behaviour, they have to be stamped out of the union movement indefinitely.

Police on Campbell St at Bowen Hills as the protest got into full swing. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

“I suspect there were many workers who weren’t aware that they weren’t going to be paid, because the modus operandi of those individuals and that particular union has never been about workers, it’s been about themselves and power and control and grubby behaviour, and it has to be called out, we all have to call it.”

Mr Crisafulli said it was unruly and unlawful.

“We don’t just have to call out the behaviour of the CFMEU,” he said.

“We’ve got to call out the individuals who have corrupted a union, and we should call them out by name, people like Jade Ingham people like Michael Ravbar and those individuals who don’t seek to do good things for workers, they seek to do good things for themselves, and we have to collectively call it out.”

He said the biggest challenge with the CFMEU was their business model was driving productivity down.

“That’s a flawed business model,” he said. “And you look at the delays that are seen in the pipeline for building.

BOWEN HILLS AUSTRALIA FRIDAY 20TH JUNE 2025 The CFMEU protesting out the front of their Bowen Hills Office - CFMEU members pictured at the Jubilee Hotel Picture NO BYLINE

“But have a look at the amount of lost days to industrial action in Queensland over the last few years. Queensland has been the strike capital of the country, and I’m not comfortable with that title, and we are going to stamp it out.

“And the way to stamp it out is to say to the law-abiding unions that you have a place at the table and to the CFMEU and the faces of trauma and mayhem that you don’t.”

Opposition spokeswoman for women Shannon Fentiman has also condemned the actions of the CFMEU.

“I just want to be very clear from the outset that there is no room for misogyny or attacking a journalist who is trying to do their job,” she said.

“We want to make sure that this behaviour is absolutely unacceptable everywhere in the community.

“It was certainly unacceptable at this protest. People have a right to protest, but it has to be done lawfully, respectfully and peacefully. And clearly that’s not what we’ve seen here, and it’s unacceptable.”

Ms Fentiman said the actions directed at a female journalist trying to do her job undermines the reputation of all unions.

“I want to be very clear that we support the high court decision. It was a Federal Labor government that took action to put an administrator in place,” she said.

“It was the former state labor government that put the administrator in place for the state union.

“The administrator needs to now get on and do their job. We have fair industrial laws in this state and in this country that do allow people to protest lawfully.

“This wasn’t one of those occasions.”

She said everyone deserved to have a union that stands up for them and make sure workplaces are safe.

“Everyone should be able to go to work and come home safely. Unions are there to make sure that workplaces are safe and to represent workers, but we need a construction union that does that lawfully,” she said.

“And that’s why the administrator now needs to be able to get on and do their job.”

CFMEU members block Campbell St outside the union's inner-Brisbane headquarters.

Following the protest, CFMEU members were spotted inside pubs for Friday afternoon drinks.

Several members wearing CFMEU attire were spotted at the Jubilee Hotel, Half-Pint Bar and the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Before midday, more than a dozen CFMEU members were observed at the Breakfast Creek Hotel. Hundreds of chanting and dancing union members blocked Campbell St in protest against the High Court’s decision to uphold the administration of their militant union.

The protest disrupted the work schedule at major construction sites – including Cross River Rail – and slowed traffic north of the city.

Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg on Friday labelled the protest an extraordinary “dummy spit” and said Queenslanders would not be “intimidated”. “I think Queenslanders have had enough of the CFMEU and their bullying and thuggery,” he said.

“The CFMEU need to get on with the job of building the infrastructure that we need here in Queensland – Queenslanders are not going to tolerate the intimidation and the approach taken by the CFMEU over recent days.

Mr Mickelberg would not quantify the cost of the protests but said it would affect productivity.

While the protest targeted the federal government-led national administration of the CFMEU, the Queensland branch has also targeted the state government.

Union member Josh Howard said Premier David Crisafulli’s LNP government decided the Olympics was more important than workers’ health.

Hundreds of people have gathered for a union protest outside the CFMEU office in Brisbane’s Bowen Hills. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

“The Crisafullash-t government promised not to cut funds, but now he’s going back on his word,” he told the crowd, before labelling Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie a “coward”.

He said many of his mates lost jobs building hospitals because builders had put all their resources into those projects.

“What has our administration done to build these hospitals? The administration is willing to screw us all over until the branch of this union collapse.”

Earlier, a speaker said the government “can’t build the Olympics without us”.

Deputy Opposition Leader Cameron Dick, asked for his view on the CFMEU protest, said “everyone needs to respect the decision of the courts in this country”.