Cross-border underworld links to be probed as CFMEU inquiry expands

New allegations of cross-border underworld criminal links to the CFMEU will be probed under an expansion of the Queensland inquiry into the union.

In an announcement that came in response to revelations published by this masthead on Thursday morning, Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie confirmed the terms of reference would be broadened to hear from alleged criminals, union officials, developers and others.

“We will act on the media reports and the revelations today of the underworld infiltrating the CFMEU in Queensland,” he said from Parliament House.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie.Credit: Joe Ruckli

“Our commission of inquiry was more of an industrial relations commission of inquiry … but we’ve been asked to take further action. I can announce today that we will.”

Bleijie confirmed the expanded terms of reference and a commissioner will likely be announced next week, with the inquiry beginning in August.

He added he believed the commission would have powers to compel witnesses from across the country.

“It’s essentially similar to a federal royal commission,” Bleijie said.

“We will look to make sure that they have the powers to get the information they need from the other jurisdictions.”

Former premier, Opposition Leader Steven Miles walked past during the press conference, momentarily distracting the LNP deputy.

“This will be Labor’s Fitzgerald moment,” he said, alluding to the corruption inquiry that brought down former premier Joh Bjelke-Petersen.

CFMEU members rallied outside union offices in Brisbane in June, a day after the High Court ruled against ousted leaders Michael Ravbar and Jade Ingham.Credit: William Davis

A gangland associate was paid $110,000 by a Gold Coast developer to strike a deal with the CFMEU’s Queensland branch four months after it was forced into administration, reporting by this masthead revealed.

Alongside multiple other alleged incidents, the transaction prompted federal administrator Mark Irving, SC, to call on the Crisafulli government to expand its commission of inquiry to probe underworld activity.

His administration released a statement saying while it was engaged in the “task of removing criminal elements” and bikies “from within the CFMEU … on a daily basis … there is much, much more to be done”.

“There is clear evidence of corruption and criminal activity in Queensland, NSW and Victoria,” a spokesman said in a statement.

“The Queensland inquiry and the ongoing work of the federal government provide a unique opportunity to continue this work.”

Bleijie confirmed the inquiry would not be expanded to look at other unions, such as the AWU. “The scope is obviously the CFMEU,” he said.

The deputy premier said he still expected it would take about 12 months for the commission of inquiry to be completed.

Speaking in Canberra about the fresh allegations against the CFMEU, the federal opposition’s employment and industrial relations spokesman Tim Wilson said the patronage network of corrupt union bosses was an ongoing concern.

“The CFMEU and the continuing issues of corruption remain a live one, and are having real and material impacts on Australians, and they’re paying for it in so many different ways,” Wilson said.

“Whether it’s through the increased cost of housing, whether it’s through the impact of the amount of money the CFMEU is taking from state government projects, which means every Australian is paying more for projects, which means we’re getting less return, less value for money.”

He reiterated the Liberals’ election platform on reform, saying it was important to reestablish the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC).

Federal Workplace Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth said it was the federal Labor government that had put the CFMEU into administration.

“We will work in a cooperative way with states and territories, along with other regulators, to make sure that we are addressing corruption and crime within the construction sector,” she said.

“The action we took, which was then backed up by the High Court, was the right action, and we will continue to work with the administrator to get the job done.”

The ousted leadership of the Queensland CFMEU, Michael Ravbar and Jade Ingham, have rejected all allegations of wrongdoing, and said a report finding a “culture of violence” lacked credibility.

“It is riddled with errors, based on selective and untested accounts, and falls far short of the standard you would expect for such serious allegations,” the pair wrote in a joint statement of the Watson report, released this month.

“Mark Irving’s comments about the union being misogynistic, violent and abusive under our leadership are offensive and untrue.”

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