CFMEU inquiry in crisis as top lawyers walk away from probe

The integrity of Queensland’s CFMEU inquiry hangs in balance after four barristers mysteriously walked away from the investigation without explanation.

Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has not commented, nor Premier David Crisafulli.

Premier David Crisafulli has refused to say why several lawyers walked away from the state government’s commission of inquiry into the CFMEU, despite concerns from union leaders.

Senior counsel assisting Commissioner Stuart Wood KC and three other barristers exited the inquiry last week.

Their departures came just days after Bob Gee left his role as secretary of the inquiry to become interim victims commissioner.

Mr Crisafulli said on Monday Attorney-General Deb Frecklington would address concerns, but Ms Frecklington said it would be inappropriate to comment about internal matters.

She would not address the departures, whether the lawyers had been replaced or if she would address Queenslanders publicly about it.

Mr Crisafulli said: “My focus is on making sure that terms of commission, the terms of reference, are there for the commission to drive the change that we need in the building sector.”

Public hearings in the inquiry, which follows reporting by The Courier-Mail, are expected to begin in a matter of weeks.

Queensland Council of Unions secretary Jacqueline King called on the government to be transparent about the departures.

“If we’ve got senior staff departing the organisation process early on without any answers, then you know we should be very concerned,” she said.

“It’s a public inquiry, I think the public deserve to hear the answers to why so many senior professional staff have left.”

The departures, without answers, could call into question the integrity of the inquiry, Ms King said.

“You can’t have an inquiry of such import … proceed when there are big question marks about why such senior staff have all departed around the same time,” she said.

A spokesman for the inquiry said hearings would continue as planned and announcements regarding new appointments would be made soon.