Kylie Lang: The CFMEU is holding the state hostage

Premier Steven Miles has shown himself to be spectacularly ineffective at reeling in the CFMEU, writes Kylie Lang.

If the CFMEU has a stranglehold on this state now, imagine how much more we’ll have to bow down to it as the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games draw ever closer.

Key projects, independent of the Games, are already being delayed and budgets blown because of this militant and grubby union – with the Queensland branch, I’m told, the worst in the nation.

What hope does Brisbane have of staging a Games that delivers excellence if these guys are left calling the shots?

Premier Steven Miles has shown himself to be spectacularly ineffective in reeling them in – he owes them his job after they sent Annastacia Palaszczuk packing last year – but for the sake of Queensland he needs to see the bigger picture.

Like many of you, I’ve been loving watching our inspirational athletes mix it with the world’s best in France.

The opening ceremony, staged against an unparalleled backdrop of Parisian landmarks and quintessential rooftops, had me blubbering in my lounge room, but I wondered what on earth Brisbane could do to equal it.

Brisbane isn’t Paris. Nor would we wish it to be. We have our own unique offerings – sparkling beaches on our doorstep, a winter defined by enviable sunshine, friendly people and our own cherished landmarks.

A hillbilly town we are not, as Brisbane Games chief Andrew Liveris was at pains to tell reporters in France this month. But when a billion eyes are on Brisbane in 2032, as they are on Paris now, what will we show them? Tarted-up tired old stadiums that ended up costing us 10 times more than budgeted because union thugs were allowed to name their price? When they want people to be paid $250,000 a year to hold traffic signs, it’s anyone’s guess what actual construction will set taxpayers back.

If Mr Miles is serious about addressing the cost-of-living crisis, then he needs to stop pandering to union bosses.

This week, he claimed he would do “whatever it takes” to rein in the CFMEU. It’s a vague declaration that came after an alleged violent assault on a worker who tried to cross a CFMEU picket line.

Queensland Premier Steven Miles. Picture: Dan Peled / NewsWire

Mr Miles said he would introduce laws to put the Queensland branch of the CFMEU into administration and take “what steps are necessary at a state level to stamp out this violence and intimidation because it is not acceptable”.

It has never, ever, been acceptable, yet Mr Miles and his Labor mates have always looked the other way. Their political futures depend on it. But what about the future of our state, and of this truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Brisbane that will be here in no time?

Unions serve a purpose in representing workers’ rights and arguing for better conditions but here in Queensland, they have become a law unto themselves. If the CFMEU isn’t brought into line now, it will only grow more powerful and hold to ransom a city that deserves to shine on the world stage. Look at what it’s doing to the Ekka, a blip compared to the Games. The Cross River Rail Delivery Authority said on Tuesday it had scrapped plans to reopen the Ekka train station this year because CFMEU-backed industrial action had delayed safety tests.

This means show-goers will have to walk 500m from a bus stop to the entry gates. This is not such a big deal on its own, but it is in the wider scheme of things.

I dread the lengths to which the CFMEU will go – because it can – to cause chaos for the Games. As I wrote here last week, the cut-price Games being promised by Mr Miles is embarrassing – but when you add the unchecked might of a militant union which is pulling every string imaginable, the word embarrassing doesn’t even begin to cut it.

Brisbane could well be the laughing stock of the world unless two things happen – the CFMEU is cut down to size and our politicians embrace a Games strategy that prioritises excellence. Voters are sick of politicians talking tough but then behaving weakly.

We are already proud of our state but we also want to show off our capital city with all the richness it deserves.

Kylie Lang is associate editor of the Courier-Mail.
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Originally published as Kylie Lang: The CFMEU is holding the state hostage