Protest by ‘intimidating’ masked men delays West End housing project

State Labor minister Mick de Brenni says he had not seen any evidence of CFMEU involvement in a masked protest at a Brisbane apartment site.

A developer is paying for special-duty police protection and apartment buyers are being held to ransom as mystery masked men stage a protracted and “intimidating” protest outside an inner Brisbane construction site.

Industry figures believe members of the militant Construction Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy masquerading as greenies are behind the bizarre blockade of The Lanes luxury high-rise development at West End.

Labor’s Public Works Minister Mick de Brenni on Saturday said he had not seen any evidence of the CFMEU’s involvement, instead pointing the finger at the Greens.

The Greens have formally denied any involvement in the demonstration, labelling Mr de Brenni’s comments “lies”, while the CFMEU has repeatedly refused to comment.

On Saturday afternoon, there was no sign of protesters on site and anti-development signage had been removed.

Mr de Brenni – a former union official himself – was reluctant to condemn the actions of the protesters before shifting the blame towards the Greens.

“I don’t know a lot about it. Nobody seems to know who is involved so I can’t really comment on the specifics,” he said.

“What I do know is that the Greens political party has been opposed to developments right across that region at a time when the state government is doing everything that we can to deliver more homes.

“So, if it is in fact the Greens political party interfering, they have got form in this space; they should get out of the way and support funding for more homes in this country.”

Masked men claiming to be from Greenpeace and protesting over a high rise development at West End.

When asked why he thought the Greens were behind the protest he said: “There is a lot to suggest the Greens are intervening in housing developments.

“They have opposed nearly every major housing development in that area.

“They have gone to national parliament and opposed funding for housing, all the evidence is there.”

When asked if he thought the CFMEU were involved, he said “not that I have seen any evidence of”.

Defending themselves from Mr de Brenni’s attack, a Greens spokeswoman said the state government should “focus on building social housing and helping renters instead of making up lies about the Greens”.

The ongoing demonstration has upset locals, tied up police resources and delayed completion of the project until potentially 2025 amid Queensland’s ongoing housing crisis.

The group of men have been maintaining an around-the-clock presence opposite the multi-tower project, being built by developer Pradella on Ferry Rd, since April.

It’s believed the blockade is an attempt to stop a construction crane, operated by non-union labour, from accessing the site.

Pradella have taken the extraordinary step of paying “special duty” police officers to work on their days off and overtime to protect the site and has also warned buyers the protest could delay the project’s completion until as late as 2025.

A nearby business said some customers had been frightened by the group, who all wore bandannas, ski masks and hoodies.

One local resident said she had complained to police and the Brisbane City Council who told her it was a police matter.

“They’re quite intimidating, they’re big fellas,” she said.

“There can be anything up to 20 blokes there, all masked and hooded. They can see residents coming and going day and night so it’s a bit unsettling for local families.

“It’s a waste of police resources too.

“The police are regularly here watching and if the police are having to do that, that worries me.

“It’s pretty ridiculous that it’s been going on for this long and no-one is doing anything about it.”

Residents said they had been told by the men that they were undercover cops or activists from Greenpeace or the “West End Dads Against Development” group.

But sources said CFMEU members were definitely involved in what may be an attempt to circumvent industrial laws relating to authorised actions.

It’s believed the blockade is an attempt to stop a non-union construction crane from accessing the site.

An Office of Industrial Relations spokesman confirmed to the Courier-Mail: “No dispute in relation to this matter has been registered with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC) or Workplace Health and Safety Queensland (WHSQ).”

Earlier this week, about 10 protesters were sitting next to Pradella Developments’ project with multiple signs wearing balaclavas, bandannas and masks.

When asked who they were protesting for on Thursday, the men said they had been outside the development for months, with one claiming they were demonstrating on behalf of Greenpeace.

“They were meant to be putting a park here instead of high rises so we are protesting that,” one man said.

Another protester said they were doing the same with Davies Park at West End.

He said before people knew it, there would be nowhere to take dogs or kids for a walk.

“So we are trying to make a bit of a stand,” he said.

A Greenpeace Australia Pacific spokesperson said it was not affiliated with the protest of a development in West End, Brisbane.

Blockade Australia, which has staged several climate change protests in the last month, said it was not involved either.

An Extinction Rebellion spokesman said it was not their protest.

Pradella recently emailed buyers, who have collectively paid millions in deposits, to tell them that the action had pushed back construction.

“I’m writing to update you on progress of construction at The Lanes, in light of the recent protest activity near the site,’’ Pradella said.

“Since late April, masked protesters have been creating an obstruction at the site entry of The Lanes along Ferry Rd by blocking and interfering with pedestrian and vehicle access.

“Due to these actions we now anticipate construction of Wave Residences (the stage 1 tower) to complete late 2024/early 2025.

“Clearly, however, the longer the protests continue the greater the impact will be on our expected delivery time frame.

“We are very keen to find a solution to this situation, although the fact that the protesters are masked and refuse to identify themselves or the groups they represent makes it difficult for us to address any genuine concerns they may have.

“Sometimes they display placards canvassing a range of issues, but many of these appear unrelated to the project.

“Our immediate priorities are to minimise projects delays and we are considering all options open to us.’’

Minister Mick de Brenni on Saturday. Picture: David Clark

The email went on to say The Lanes, part of a $1.3 billion master planned precinct, was very positive for West End and for the broader Queensland economy.

“At the same time, we are creating homes for around 650 residents in what is generally considered Queensland’s biggest housing crisis,’’ the email read.

One deposit holder, who did not want to be named, said his 10 per cent deposit on a $850,000 unit in stage one was now effectively in limbo.

He now faced having to renegotiate the 18-month rental lease he took out on the assumption the building would be ready to move into by the third quarter of this year.

“There’s a five-year sunset clause to complete the building,’’ he said.

“We don’t want to rock the boat because there are so many other developers around Brisbane who have cancelled projects and handed back deposits.

“At the same time, apartments are still being advertised by Pradella and there’s nothing under $1 million left.

“But at the end of the day, we all need to live somewhere.’’

Pradella, the CFMEU, Queensland Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace and her federal counterpart Tony Bourke all declined to comment when contacted by The Courier-Mail.

A Queensland Police spokesperson said officers had been monitoring the protest since April 25 “and at times police have been deployed on special duty at this location”.

“Special duties” police are funded privately by companies and organisations to work at events such as sporting events and festivals on days off or overtime.

Association of Professional Builders co-founder Russ Stephens said the alleged union interference was adding to building costs and delays.

“This kind of behaviour applies to all major construction sites in Australia,” Mr Stephens said. “The smaller developments sit under the radar, but the unions are running the show.

“The Queensland Labor government has pulled back the powers to bring control and order to construction.

“The builder has to have a good relationship with the unions otherwise nothing would get done.”

Mr Stephens said some builders were deliberately avoiding taking on larger projects because they did not want to attract the attention of the CFMEU.

“They’re controlling access to sites through thugs who use workplace health and safety to allow them access and we see a lot of builders not want to go near them, Mr Stephens said.

“It’s adding to the cost of apartments for all of us — we’re all paying for it.”