Ex-union boss hired for job in Palaszczuk’s IR department

A former union boss has been hired by a department overseen by ­factional ally Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace.

The powerful ex-boss of Queensland’s plumbers union has been hired as a consultant by a departmental office overseen by his ­factional ally, Industrial Relations Minister Grace Grace.

The Australian understands Bradley O’Carroll, former state secretary of the Plumbers Union Queensland, was hired in Feb­ruary on a short-term contract by the Office of Industrial Relations.

Ms Grace is a proud unionist and was the first woman to act as general state secretary of the Queensland Council of Unions, from 2000 to 2007, when she was first elected as an MP. She’s also a member of the small Labor Unity, or Old Guard, faction, of which the Plumbers Union are powerbrokers.

A spokesman for the minister, who has held the portfolio since Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk reshuffled her cabinet late last year, said she had nothing to do with Mr O’Carroll’s appointment.

The spokesman said that it had been approved not by the minister, but by the deputy director-general, Simon Blackwood.

“I’m advised this appointment was made in February under a temporary employment contract which runs to June to undertake industrial relations project work and that it is not at a senior level,” the spokesman said.

When Ms Grace took over the portfolio, Nick Behrens of the Chamber of Commerce and ­Industry Queensland warned that a “unionist in the industrial relations portfolio will need to bend over backwards to demonstrate her impartiality”.

Opposition industrial relations spokesman Jarrod Bleijie criticised Mr O’Carroll’s hiring.

“In a short period of Grace Grace’s tenure as minister, we see jobs for mates and payback to union officials,” he said.

“We’ve seen unemployment skyrocketing, yet anyone in the union movement seems to be able to get a job easy enough.”