Union lashes Minister Mark Bailey after alleged Cross River Rail attack

Workers at the Cross River Rail were forced to pause operations after allegedly being pelted with a bottle from a nearby apartment block.

Workers at the Cross River Rail site were forced to abandon operations on early Friday morning after allegedly being pelted with a bottle and “other missiles” from a nearby apartment block, according to the union.

The workers’ union, the CFMEU, said crane crews and other staff at the open pit near the future Albert Street Station in Brisbane’s city were forced to flee their stations amid the “bombardment”.

“This is serious stuff,” the local Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union posted on Facebook.

“You get hit with a bottle thrown from 20-30 floors up and you’ll be leaving the job on a stretcher.”

Images of the rail’s construction near Albert Street from early 2020. Picture: Supplied

Queensland Police Service confirmed it was investigating disturbances at the site.

“As a result, police have been present onsite in a preventive capacity multiple times and have liaised with site management in the past few days,” a spokesperson said in a statement to The Courier-Mail.

The CFMEU’s post singled out Transport and Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey, claiming the senior Palaszczuk government member refused to address the safety issue during a site visit on Friday morning.

When the going gets tough ... Minister Mark Bailey runs away.Work stopped at the Albert Street Station end of the...

Posted by CFMEU Construction & General QLD/NT on Thursday, February 3, 2022

But Mr Bailey rebuked the claim directly on Facebook.

“This is nonsense,” he said.

“It was not raised with me by any CFMEU official with me this morning at all. It was raised with me by the Delivery Authority.

“Keep it accurate and don’t make up stuff.”

The Cross River Rail Delivery Authority told The Courier-Mail “these types of incidents pose a significant risk to workers’ safety and are clearly unacceptable”.

“The contractor responsible for the site is looking into a range of measures including upgrades to CCTV equipment and the addition of an onsite security guard,” a spokesperson said.