"The latest allegations of criminal conduct by CFMEU officials linked to outlaw motorcycle gangs make it clear there should be a judicial inquiry into the union's activities across the country," Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the national employer association Australian Industry Group, said today.
"Businesses involved in the construction sector have been well aware of these links for many years. None of this is a surprise. This is a national issue, not just confined to Victoria, and requires an urgent, coordinated inquiry," Mr Willox said.
"The South Australian Government's police referral around links between the union and outlaw motorcycle gangs is a strong and welcome message that should be taken up nationally.
"The Victorian Government has also rightly written to the Victorian Police and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) to investigate these alarming allegations and moved to suspend the CFMEU construction division from the state Labor party.
"There is a risk that separate actions across the states will lead to a fragmented response to the alarming claims that have been made in recent days.
"This is not just rotten apples, it's a rotten barrel. There needs to be a coordinated national response that a judicial inquiry can provide.
"It is estimated that the CFMEU participated in the bulk of $40 billion of taxpayer funded national infrastructure projects undertaken by private sector contractors in 2023.
"The decision to place the Victorian branch of the CFMEU into administration is a welcome one. It is the first time this has happened since the Health Services Union was placed into administration in 2012.
"However, having another office of the CFMEU run the Victorian branch hardly inspires confidence that things will dramatically change.
"The abolition of the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) has given the CFMEU the green light to embark on campaigns of intimidation and retribution on building sites across the country. The ABCC needs to be re-established as a priority to clean up the sector.
"The bulk of construction workers who turn up every day to proudly do their job are rightly appalled at the growing links between the union and organised crime.
"We also maintain a request that the federal Minister for Workplace Relations make public the advice he has sought from his department on his powers to bring the union to heel," Mr Willox said.
