CFMEU official charged with threats to kill over abuse of Indigenous firm owner

A senior CFMEU organiser has been charged over alleged threats to kill an Indigenous labour hire owner who he was recorded telling “I’ll f---ing take your soul and rip your f---ing head off”.

Victoria Police arrested CFMEU Indigenous organiser Joel Shackleton, 40, on Thursday morning and charged him with making threats to inflict serious injury and threats to kill, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ prison.

They are the first criminal charges laid since the joint investigation by this masthead, the Australian Financial Review and 60 Minutes revealed allegations of violent threats, intimidation and bikie and underworld infiltration of the CFMEU.

The investigation exposed a video of Shackleton allegedly threatening to bash two owners of Indigenous labour hire firm Marda Dandhi, which was aligned with the rival Australian Workers’ Union.

Shackleton was recorded telling one owner that he would “f---ing end you c--- and you know it, don’t f--- with me. I’ll f---ing take your soul and I’ll rip your f---ing head off.”

The second company owner was called a “f---ing dog” and “germ” and threatened with violence.

The threats were made at a Victorian government Big Build site run by civil contractor CPB in 2022. The police charges raise serious questions about why action was not taken earlier, either by the employer, the state government or then-transport minister Jacinta Allan.

At the time, the Indigenous owners wrote to Allan, then-premier Daniel Andrews and then-federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese about the incident, including transcripts of Shackleton’s alleged threats and advising that they were captured on video.

Allan did not respond until a year later, saying that industrial relations and subcontractor selection were contractor responsibilities. CPB raised the matter with the state infrastructure authority but no action was taken.

Marda Dandhi was allegedly pushed off major government sites by the CFMEU and ended up going out of business.

In a statement, Victoria Police said detectives would allege the man made threats to inflict serious injury on the two owners.

Shackleton is the third senior CFMEU official facing criminal charges, with former CFMEU NSW leaders Darren and Michael Greenfield set to be committed for trial on charges of accepting bribes from an employer. The Greenfields have denied the claims.

Police continue to investigate recently sacked union Victorian branch assistant secretary Derek Christopher for allegedly taking kickbacks from building companies. Christopher has denied wrongdoing.

Police are also assessing a complaint from the state government in connection to disgraced ex-union leader John Setka’s presence on two major taxpayer-funded Victorian projects this week.

It is unclear if Setka was trespassing on the sites or gained lawful entry after he spoke at snap stop-work meetings.

Detectives will not charge Setka over his intimidating evening visit to a rival union boss earlier this year after the official declined to lodge a formal police complaint or seek an intervention order.

Shackleton was released on bail and is scheduled to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on November 22. He did not return requests for comment.

He is still employed by the CFMEU Victorian branch – now under the control of the administrator.

Sources said the organiser had been in the process of renewing his right-of-entry permit, which has a “fit and proper” person test, when the arrest took place.

Fellow organiser Gerry McCrudden was also recorded warning that firms without CFMEU backing would struggle to win work due to union control of the Labor government’s tier one contractors. A well-placed source, speaking anonymously to discuss confidential information, said McCrudden was likely to face dismissal.

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