Fair Work Building and Construction annual report singles out the Queensland as hotbed of thuggery

THE construction watchdog has singled out Queensland for an escalating disregard for the law after officials were run off their feet dealing with complaints.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 30: Construction workers march past the Myer Emporium site during the Grocon Rally and March on April 30, 2013 in Melbourne, Australia. The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) organised the protest calling for building giant Grocon to improve its safety standards. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

QUEENSLAND is at the centre of a culture of lawlessness across Australia’s building sites, with the construction watchdog singling out the state as a hotbed of thuggery.

The Fair Work Building and Construction (FWBC) annual report, released yesterday, reveals a shocking 78 ­investigations were set up in the Sunshine State in 2014-15 – nearly double the cases in NSW and ­Victoria.

They were part of 197 new investigations that began amid 3000 requests for help, many of them dealing with the actions of the militant CFMEU.

Officials were so run off their feet, extra staff had to be deployed to Brisbane to contend with reports of coercion, unlawful strike action, questionable entry to building sites and sham contracting.

The FWBC started twice as many court cases as last year and more cases than ever before – 36 throughout the year. They resulted in $1.4 million in penalties.

The report singles out Brisbane as a “hotspot”, pointing to an apparently escalating disregard for the law.

“Queensland’s continued high levels of investigations commencing is reflective of the prevailing unlawful climate that exists in this state,” FWBC head Nigel Hadgkiss said.

Among the key cases was one involving strike action at Grocon’s Common Ground project at South Brisbane that ended in $545,000 in fines.

The CFMEU and five of its officials were fined for behaviour that included using cars to block workers from entering the site. The court was told CFMEU’s Joseph Myles told workers he could influence their future in the industry and organiser Paul Cradden told a subcontractor he would be committing “industrial suicide” if he brought his workers on the job.