Women and kids victimised in Queensland CFMEU’s ‘culture of violence’

The Queensland branch of the CFMEU cultivated a culture of violence that included threats and intimidation of women and children, a report commissioned by the union’s administrator has found.

The building union’s former leadership Michael Ravbar and Jade Ingham oversaw a culture of abuse and harassment, which was “eagerly executed” by some union organisers, some delegates and some rank-and-file members, the report alleged.

“The CFMEU has breached – deliberately breached – every aspect of its own anti-violence policy. The CFMEU in Queensland actually intended to inflict physical, sexual, emotional and economic abuse on others,” it said.

A CFMEU mural at the Queen’s Wharf construction site next to State Parliament.Credit: Matt Dennien

The 45-page report, published online on Wednesday evening with some names and details redacted, conveys the findings of a three-month investigation that its author, barrister Geoffrey Watson, said might only scratch the surface of violence in the union.

According to the report, Ravbar and Ingham were invited to be interviewed or respond in writing to the investigation, but declined, including a specific request to respond to the claim about their role in the violence.

On Thursday, however, the pair wrote in a joint statement that they had asked Watson, through lawyers, to be provided with details of the allegations before any interview. “He was unwilling to do that, and accordingly, we did not participate in an interview,” they said.

Watson was directed by the administrator, Mark Irving, to investigate the Queensland branch of the union after revelations of corruption and bikie links along the east coast by this masthead, The Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes.

Victims of the union’s violence included a 13-year-old child whose mother, an official of the rival Australian Workers Union (AWU), was confronted at Labour Day celebrations in Brisbane in 2023.

“How does it feel to know that your mum is a f---in’ grub who sells out workers?” the child was asked by a man wearing a CFMEU shirt.

“This cannot be regarded as a rogue member acting on his own initiative,” the report said, noting it was similar to other conduct by CFMEU members and took place “probably” within earshot of Ingham, according to the child’s mother.

Locked rooms, shoulder charges and a ‘bullet with your name on it’

Another example in the report told of a female public servant who was berated by Ravbar inside a locked room at CFMEU offices.

There, Ravbar told her the union was watching her, making the threat: “we’re after you”.

The woman told investigators she feared physical violence and needed psychological help after the incident.

Watson said the union’s hostility to women “might just be the single worst aspect of the violence perpetrated by the CFMEU” and was also “deeply hypocritical”, as the union boasted of its promotion of equal treatment of women.

A CFMEU picket line outside the Cross River Rail site at Roma Street last year.Credit: Peter Wallis

At the Cross River Rail site at the Gabba, two men “shoulder charged” an AWU organiser, forcing him into oncoming traffic, and issued threats including “We know where you live” and “We know you have two young sons”.

Abuse on Cross River Rail construction sites was commonplace, the report found.

In an incident that Watson said “clearly constitutes a crime”, a CFMEU official told a representative for a private contractor: “We know where you live” and “There’s a bullet with your name on it – we’re gonna get you.”

The investigation did not hear Ravbar or Ingham’s version of events. In the pair’s statement, they said the report was “riddled with errors, based on selective and untested accounts, and falls far short of the standard you would expect for such serious allegations”.

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

Administrator promises immediate action

CFMEU administrator Mark Irving promised to expel members of the union, saying in a statement he did not need to wait for police complaints to act.

“Where there is clear and credible evidence of violent, cruel, or misogynist behaviour then I can deal with that behaviour now, rather than wait years for other authorities to act.”

Jarrod Bleijie doubled down on the LNP’s promises to crack down on the union and construction sector.Credit: Catherine Strohfeldt

Irving said people who received directions from the old leadership would be dismissed, as would those who met with or communicated with them or their intermediaries.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie released a statement on Wednesday evening saying the union’s culture was “systemic and sinister”.

“They have been operating under an unlawful business model for close to a decade and now it’s coming to end,” he said.

“The brave men and women who told their stories through this review should be praised for their courage, the CFMEU’s militant behaviour must be condemned at every level.

“The Crisafulli government will deliver the change needed to restore safety and the rule of law on Queensland construction sites.”

Irving said new employment contracts would be offered to CFMEU employees who were continuing, which would be linked to a code of conduct, with a program of training and cultural change, and people who co-operated with the investigation would be protected

Federal Industrial Relations Minister Amanda Rishworth said the union’s culture was “horrific and reprehensible” and praised Irving’s swift response.

“The administrator’s response is rightly definitive, ensuring those responsible are held to account for their actions,” Rishworth said in a statement on Thursday morning.

“This is exactly why our government stood up the administrator in the first place – to uncover and stamp out this disturbing behaviour and institute lasting change.”

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