Gold Coast light rail workers sacked over serious misconduct

Gold Coast light rail bosses have sacked several employees and a multimillion-dollar contract held by a firm controlled by two former Wallabies stars is in limbo

Gold Coast light rail bosses have sacked several employees for serious misconduct and the multimillion-dollar traffic controlling contract held by two former star Wallabies hangs in the balance.

Head contractor John Holland confirmed four employees - three of which were employed by Moonyah Workforce - had been terminated after it claims an investigation substantiated serious misconduct allegations.

Moonyah Workforce - an indigenous-owned company founded by former Brumbies and Queensland Reds players Saia and Anthony Fainga’a, holds a multimillion-dollar traffic control and labour hire contract on Stage 3 of the $1.2 billion light rail project.

It is alleged fraudulent invoicing was one of the focuses of the investigation.

There is no allegation of personal wrongdoing directed at Saia and Anthony Faing’a. The allegations concern people employed by their firm.

“John Holland has zero tolerance for misconduct and takes all accusations extremely seriously,” a John Holland spokesperson confirmed.

“We first became aware of these accusations in February and launched a full, immediate investigation using an external organisation.

“As a result of that investigation, we have terminated the employment of one employee and removed three subcontractor employees from the project.

“We will continue to investigate any further claims of misconduct, should they arise.”

Several employees from Saia and Anthony Fainga'a’s company Moonyah Workforce have been sacked.

It is understood the fate of scores of workers on the site remains in limbo with Moonyah subject to ongoing investigations and its contract now under a cloud.

A statement from Moonyah Workforce said it operated “with the highest professionalism on all of our projects and have zero tolerance for any misconduct that doesn’t uphold our values and standards”.

“We proudly provide employment for hundreds of local families on the Gold Coast,” it said.

“Moonyah Workforce has an existing contract with John Holland to provide traffic management services for stage three of the Gold Coast Light Rail project.”

CFMEU Qld/NT Civil Construction Coordinator Dylan Howard said it had been made aware of the investigation by John Holland into one of its subcontractors.

“The union has warned John Holland repeatedly over the past two years about issues that workers have raised with us about the behaviour of this particular subcontractor,” he said.

“As the principal contractor on this project, John Holland has the responsibility to remove subcontractors that do the wrong thing.

“We call on John Holland to take on all affected workers as direct employees to ensure they can continue building this critical project and receive the correct wages and entitlements.”

Moonyah holds a multimillion dollar contract with light rail stage 3.

Moonyah’s appointment was highly-celebrated when it won the contract two years ago in March 2023 - one of the biggest civil contracts awarded to a certified Indigenous-owned and operated business.

The Fainga’a twins joined then-Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey at a press conference where Anthony Fainga’a said he was ‘incredibly proud of what we’ve been able to achieve in a short period’.

“This deal will give more of our workers meaningful opportunities to improve their lives and support their families,” he said at the time.

“We’re passionate about providing every man and woman from the region who wants to work hard an opportunity and this partnership will let us recruit more local workers to achieve their dreams.

“We want to make Moonyah the place where companies go to find workers that will get the job done and where mums and dads can invest in their futures.”

The light rail contract was spruiked as part of a 15-year plan mapped out for Moonyah Workforce which, at the time, included being listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.

Despite the light rail being its most significant deal, there is no mention of it on the ‘projects’ page of the company’s website.

Former Main Roads Minister Mark Bailey at a press conference with Saia and Anthony Fainga’a, announcing a Gold Coast light rail contract for their company Moonyah Workforce.

Moonyah Workforce was previously called Trident Labour Services (Qld), and was founded by Walter and Barry Hockings in 2019.

The Fainga’a twins came in as directors and majority shareholders in 2021, when the company was renamed Moonyah Workforce, ASIC records show.

The Hockings had both left the business by December 2022 - leaving the Fainga’a twins as the only directors.

Walter Hockings said he departed after a ‘misalignment in the direction of the business’.

Moonyah holds a labour hire licence authorising them to work with 78 councils in Queensland in manufacturing, construction, electricity, gas, water and waste services industries.

Its other major projects have included Mango Hill State School, two Queensland motorway upgrades and work on defence bases in Western Australia.

hen the company was awarded the light rail job, Anthony Fainga’a said they were very proud.

“Coming from very humble beginnings, finishing rugby, to give people the opportunity to work, giving full-time employment and consistent work for us has really been a dream,” he said.

“To win the project, which is a multimillion-dollar project, has been a lot of hard work, a lot of sleepless nights.

“For us, it really builds the foundation for our business.”

Originally published as Gold Coast light rail workers sacked over serious misconduct