Bikies and criminals using threats, intimidation and violence to wield power in the construction industry will be targeted by CFMEU administrators.
The union's administrator Mark Irving has promised to clean up the union after receiving a damning report into the Victorian branch of the CFMEU's construction arm.
The report, prepared by Geoffrey Watson SC, found the branch was so laden with violence and intimidation that a series of expletive-laden threats caught on video were deemed "unexceptional".
Mr Watson was engaged by CFMEU national secretary Zach Smith to conduct an independent investigation into allegations the construction and general division was involved in criminal and corrupt conduct, as uncovered by Nine newspapers earlier in 2024.
Mr Irving on Tuesday accepted all of the report's recommendations, noting the matters addressed were of the "utmost seriousness and concern".
“Mr Watson's report has shed light on a cycles of lawlessness where violence was an acceptable part of the culture that exists across the Victorian construction sector and that in this cycle of intimidation and violence the CFMEU had lost control," he said.
In response, he committed to establishing an integrity unit in Victoria to investigate a growing number of allegations and also will scrutinise the relationships between suppliers and former senior union officials.
Labour hire firms will also be put under the spotlight to identify the extent organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs have infiltrated their ranks, their impact on enterprise agreements and any illegal payments made to union officials.
Despite Mr Watson's report findings being limited to Victoria, Mr Irving has committed to taking his inquiries into other jurisdictions.
"I am not constrained by any of these limitations," he said.
Detailed investigations will be initiated into the extent of the involvement of outlaw motorcycle gangs and organised crime groups within Queensland, NSW and South Australia's construction industries.
In Queensland, Mr Irving will examine whether union officials breached conflicts of interest by accepting unlawful kickbacks and secret benefits as well as transfers of funds to and from the union, including the use of charity trusts.
The actions of former CFMEU NSW secretary Darren Greenfield and his son Michael, a former state branch assistant secretary, will be investigated in NSW over alleged illegal payments.
The Greenfields have both denied accusations of accepting bribes from a building company for preferential treatment from the union and access to contracts, spanning as far back as 2018.
In addition to the inquiries in the other states, Mr Irving will also investigate the sexual harassment of female delegates in the South Australian branch.
Any wrongdoing revealed through these investigations may result in civil lawsuits, the administrator said.
