Steven Miles under pressure to hand back donations, stop meeting with CFMEU
Queensland Premier Steven Miles is under pressure to cut financial ties with the CFMEU ahead of the October state election in the wake of damning allegations.
Queensland Premier Steven Miles is under pressure to cut financial ties with the CFMEU ahead of the October state election in the wake of allegations of bullying, intimidation and bikie links within the construction union.
The Victorian branch of the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union was placed into voluntary administration by its national office on Monday, with Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan referring allegations of criminal behaviour to police and the state’s anti-corruption commission.
Queensland Liberal National Party deputy leader Jarrod Bleijie called on Mr Miles to “show leadership” by returning $95,000 of CFMEU donations and cutting ties with the union, citing allegations of corruption and thuggery.
“This has been happening on construction sites in Queensland, I have been raising these issues with this Labor government for 10 years,” he said. “It is about time the Labor Party put the CFMEU in the bin. Steven Miles must show leadership today; dissociate with the CFMEU, pay back the money, stop meeting them.”
The Queensland arm of the construction union has registered as an official third party organisation with the Electoral Commission of Queensland, enabling it to spend $1m on a statewide campaign ahead of the October 26 election.
Under Queensland’s new electoral laws, political parties can spend only $95,964 in each electorate they contest, while third parties can spend up to $1m across the state. Already, 21 organisations have registered, including 14 unions.
Former premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stopped meeting with the CFMEU after a 2022 protest when more than 200 CFMEU members stormed the Department of Transport and Main Roads in Brisbane’s CBD, forcing public servants to hide in offices.
After replacing Ms Palaszczuk as premier in December, Mr Miles reversed the ban, meeting with senior representatives of the CFMEU in February and with state secretary Michael Ravbar in March.
In April, masked men blocked entrances to several sites of the Cross River Rail – the state’s biggest project – as the CFMEU launched strike action. The CFMEU denied it was responsible for padlocking site gates, barricading entrances and parking vehicles in front of entrances, effectively stopping hundreds of non-union labourers from going to work.
Asked in parliament in May why he continued to meet with CFMEU officials, Mr Miles said: “I am always happy to meet with organisations that represent Queenslanders.”
“Unions are appropriate organisations representing the workers; they have a legitimate role in our society and I will not apologise for meeting with their representatives. I will continue to do so,” he said.
On Monday, he said allegations regarding interstate branches were “very concerning” and encouraged anyone with allegations of wrongdoing to take them to the police. “Unions represent thousands of Queensland workers, and I’ll continue to engage with them where appropriate to discuss the safety and rights of workers, as I do with other industry representatives and community organisations.”
The Queensland CFMEU declined to comment.
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