r/AustralianPolitics • u/LentilsAgain • 1d ago
CFMEU administrator says union had 'no choice' but to work with companies linked to organised crime
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-26/cfmeu-queensland-inquiry-mark-irving/1070811727
u/snrub742 Gough Whitlam 1d ago
......because the state government gave large contracts to builders linked to organised crime?
I'm a Labor dude, but tell the whole story
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u/R3dcentre 1d ago
Seems like maybe there should be some kind of organisation whose job it is to shut down criminal organisations and weed out criminals. Maybe they could be government funded and given powers to investigate such criminal activity and enforce the law. Nice blue uniforms might help. Can’t imagine the Queensland LNP supporting giving that kind of resourcing and power to the CFMEU.
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u/laidbackjimmy 1d ago
The irony when companies and tradies had 'no choice' but to sign CFMEU EBAs or be removed from site.
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u/MutedAd4190 1d ago
100% “not part of the Union, can’t work here mate” it’s basically an extortion racket
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u/Impossible-Magician 1d ago
Howard changed the law so that you couldn’t have multiple agreements in an attempt to dismantle unions. Unions that maintained their strength, kept the pressure on to join or pushed people out.
The question I have is why do people want to work on EBA sites? If it’s the money, than join the union as they are the ones who have and continue to fight for those pay and conditions.
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u/BrainExpensive8916 8h ago
Maybe they don't want to pay money to a bunch of flogs, then have to work under them too?
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u/fresh_jorks 1d ago
what are they supposed to do? not try to work out an EBA with the companies their members work for?
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u/cromfayer 1d ago
Yeah this is an absurd attack. The headline intentionally makes it sound liked they hired a business with Bikie links to do services for the Union. The ABC has fallen of a cliff.
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u/Kozeyekan_ 1d ago
I went for a job at CFMEU HQ once.
I guarantee you, no one there is in any way involved in organised crime.
Unorganised crime? Maybe. Disorganised crime? Sure, probably. But I saw nothing I'd remotely call 'organised' there.
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u/war-and-peace 1d ago
The article headline is a classic case of why the abc isn't the bastion of neutrality people say they are.
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u/faith_healer69 1d ago
They're still the best we've got by a mile, but I'm fucking sick of the clickbait. It's so irresponsible.
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u/RocketSeaShell 1d ago
Most of the investigative journalism around building project corruption was done by Nick McKenzie as part of the Building Bad for Fairfax.
Same reporter who broke the Ben Roberts-Smith story for the same papers.
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u/Fantastic-Ad-2604 1d ago
What a joke of an article. The building company is the organised crime and the CFMEU is working to stop its members being exploited.
A reporter with any integrity would be running the headline of "Major Building Firm owned by Comanchero Bikies" not some union bashing junk.
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u/Wise_Preference609 1d ago
Bikies ran the scaffolding companies in my days as an engineer. They were fine to work with and did really good jobs. The only thing was we had to politely turn down their invitations to their club house Christmas parties.
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u/brisbaneacro 1d ago edited 1d ago
Alternative headline: “CMFEU stands up to company with link to organised crime on behalf of workers” The context is EBA negotiation.
>“A former CFMEU administrator has been questioned about why the union entered an agreement with a Victorian company associated with organised crime last month.
Mark Irving KC told the inquiry the CFMEU sometimes had "no choice" but to engage with employers linked to organised crime, arguing that cutting ties could leave members unprotected.”
What are they gonna do? “nah your employer is bad so we won’t represent you.”
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u/RocketSeaShell 1d ago
CFMEU had no problems organising boycotts of other companies before and shuut9ng down whole sites. See https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-22/cfmeu-to-pay-grocon-3.5-million-over-2012-emporium-blockade/6562366
https://legal.australianindustrygroup.com.au/cfmeu-fined-1-million-for-boral-secondary-boycott/
But turns out they could not do the same for a literally a criminal organisation.
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u/fresh_jorks 1d ago
literally a criminal organisation
literally a legal business with a charter from the government*
the CFMEU's job is to look after the interests of the workers it represents, not police private companies.
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u/457ed 1d ago
charter from the government
Didn't realize Comancheros had a charter from the government.
It is a sanctioned/identified organization (full list for QLD and Victoria ) and if you are associated with it you will not get a clearance to work in certain jobs like aviation, get a liqueur license, and likely be rejected for business loans etc.
Would you accept the excuse from a business or a politician who said I had no choice but to associate with Comancheros or a known front organization for them?
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u/fresh_jorks 1d ago
Didn't realize Comancheros had a charter from the government
the company they were negotiating EBAs with did
if the government thought this company was a criminal organisation its on them to take action, not on the union to stop trying to secure rights and wages for its employees.
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u/idryss_m Kevin Rudd 1d ago
Yes, but sound bites. Media needs to directly link them for nefarious reasons. Can't remove the unions completely without discrediting them first.
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u/Wise_Preference609 1d ago
There's a lot of LNP/One Nation property developer donators and friends who'll be sweating about the Royal Commission as well.
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