The findings of an investigation commissioned by the administrator of the Queensland branch of the CFMEU, which found the union “embraced a culture which encouraged and celebrated the use of threats of violence, intimidation, misogyny and bullying”, have been referred to the police.
The report, titled Violence in the Queensland CFMEU, was conducted by Centre for Public Integrity senior counsel Geoffrey Watson. It was released on Wednesday night.
It concluded that the union made a “mockery of union values” through an alleged culture of intimidation under the former leadership of secretary Michael Ravbar and former assistant secretary Jade Ingham.
Both of them led a legal challenge against Commonwealth legislation putting the union in administration, after media reporting in Victoria and NSW. It was thrown out of the high court last week.
In a public response on Facebook, the former leadership team rejected the findings of the report “in the strongest possible terms.”
“It is riddled with errors, based on selective and untested accounts and falls far short of the standard you would expect for such serious allegations,” they said.
“It reads less like a rigorous investigation and more like an exercise in confirming a predetermined narrative. The report does not establish a proper basis for finding allegations to be substantiated or any basis in fact for asserting that we were responsible for planning and/or direction of any of the conduct alleged in the report”.
Administrator Mark Irving said the reviewer interviewed 55 witnesses, was provided with documentation and videos relating to alleged incidents and received the full support of the union.
“Much of this was not done in private and the fact that it has taken so long to be called out is partly due to the fear of retribution by those targeted,” Irving said.
Alleged incidents detailed in the report included a fake bomb threat at a work site in Brisbane, the use of video to identify work site safety inspectors to expose them and their family to harassment, and intimidation of many people within and outside government, including ministers. Much of the alleged abuse detailed was gendered, including the routine use of the word “cunt” to women.
The report notes an alleged incident from about 2022 when a workplace health and safety inspector attended a site at Brendale north of Brisbane. An employee said to be holding a functioning angle grinder allegedly approached, yelling “I want to take you outside and bash the shit out of you.”
In another alleged incident a workplace health and safety inspector was attending the funeral of his friend’s wife when he was allegedly approached by three unknown men. One allegedly said “You’re that cunt from the video.” Another is alleged to have added “You’re a bit of a fucking dog.”
The report notes that the CFMEU had recently posted what it describes as an inflammatory video about that inspector on its Facebook page.
It also used violence and threats against the Australian Workers’ Union to further industrial aims, he alleged.
The former leadership also rejected claims that their union being “misogynistic, violent and abusive” were untrue.
“Under my leadership the union fought tirelessly for all workers and delivered significant gains, including initiatives that empowered women across male-dominated industries.”
“I fear this investigation only scratched the surface of the violence in the Queensland CFMEU. There are many other potential witnesses and many other stories which could have been told,” report says.
Watson said the union was also regularly fined through the courts, but was able to “defeat the sting” of personal payment orders against individual union leaders by having the union pay fines. The union was convicted of offences about 55 times more than the next-placed union, he said.
Committing offences was part of the union’s business model with fines “the cost of doing business”, he alleged.
“It seems more likely that breaching the laws and suffering fines was an integral part of the CFMEU business model. Its reputation as an aggressive outlaw created a fear and reticence among those dealing with the CFMEU,” he said.
Irving said he would use his power to expel members involved in wrongdoing from the union, potentially banning them from future elections.
He said the culture that prevailed under the old leadership “was violent, cruel and misogynist and betrayed the core values of unionism. It will be replaced by a new culture based on union values of justice, equality and solidarity.”
The deputy Queensland premier, Jarrod Bleijie, said the report had been immediately forwarded to the Queensland police service on Wednesday night.
He ruled out deregistering or dissolving the union at a press conference on Thursday.
“I can commit to Queenslanders, and I’ve spoken directly with premier David Crisafulli this morning,” Bleijie said.
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this. This says it scratches the surface. We will find out more. We’ll investigate more, and we, if need be, [will] legislate to make sure workers are safe on construction sites”.
The Queensland Council of Unions general secretary, Jacqueline King, and president, Kate Ruttiman, apologised for the actions of the former union leadership. The union had disaffiliated from the peak body in 2018.
King said the former CFMEU leadership had “deeply let down Queensland workers and members of our community. You have let down the Queensland trade union movement.”
The Queensland Labor leader, Steven Miles, said he was “shocked and appalled” at the allegations revealed in the report.
“I’m a proud trade unionist, and there is no place in the trade union movement [for] this kind of the behaviour,” he said.
“It is not the trade union movement that I know and I am a member of.”
The first report is partly redacted to obscure some names and personal details to “prevent repercussions against those who have provided assistance”, the report says. Watson also completed a second, confidential report, which has yet to be released to government. Bleijie said the government would be seeking a copy of this to further their own investigations.
