CFMEU meeting set
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A planned summit could become a showdown for Australia's construction industry.
The federal government is set to hold a “reset” meeting with unions, businesses, and key industry leaders following reports of criminal infiltration in the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU).
The National Construction Industry Forum, scheduled for mid-October, is set to address misconduct and lawlessness within the construction sector.
Workplace Relations Minister Murray Watt announced the forum as an opportunity to address the industry’s deep-rooted cultural issues.
“We need a major reset in Australia's construction industry,” Senator Watt said, calling for cooperation between the government, employers, and workers.
He said the forum would focus on improving workplace culture and reducing criminal influence from both employer and worker perspectives.
This announcement comes amid conflict between the CFMEU and the federal government.
Tensions escalated after the government's decision to place the union’s construction division under administration due to allegations of criminal infiltration by bikie gangs.
The scandal has sparked protests across major cities.
Tens of thousands of workers gathered in Melbourne and Sydney last week to protest the government's intervention.
In Melbourne, CFMEU members marched from Trades Hall to Flagstaff Gardens, led by union officials who criticised the government's actions.
Troy Gray, Victorian Secretary of the Electrical Trades Union, expressed workers' frustration, saying; “If there is an orchestrated continued attack on the working conditions and living standards of Victorian construction workers … we will call a third rally … and there'll be a call for a 72-hour stoppage”.
The protests were in response to findings that criminal elements, including bikie gangs, had infiltrated the union's Victorian branch.
An interim report by barrister Geoffrey Watson revealed that negotiations within the CFMEU had become “vulnerable to corruption”.
Despite attempts to purge criminal influence, these efforts have been deemed insufficient.
CFMEU administrator Mark Irving has called for investigations into criminal influence within the union to continue.
He also introduced measures to support the inquiry, including the creation of an anonymous whistleblower service and a separate integrity unit.
Irving noted that the investigation will extend beyond Victoria, with plans for further probes into Queensland and New South Wales.
In Sydney, CFMEU delegate Denis McNamara voiced his belief that the government's actions were unlawful, saying; “They've put our union in administration with no proof”.
Ousted union officials, including former New South Wales Secretary Darren Greenfield, criticised the government for its handling of the situation, accusing it of unfairly targeting the CFMEU.
Minister Watt, however, defended the government’s decision, stating that the allegations of criminal activity were too serious to ignore.
“We haven't done this based on what we have decided was politically convenient … We did it because it was the right thing to do,” he said.
Watt says the forum will seek to bridge the growing divide between the government and unions and to establish a cooperative approach to reform the construction sector.